Power Rangers Primal Spirits
by TheGlassEmperor
Summary: Across the universe nothing was safe from the clutches of Arcadyx, the universe's greatest pirate who scoured the stars seeking exotic species and artifacts to be sold on the intergalactic black markets for money. His latest hunt brings him to Earth, seeking five mythic artifacts of immense power known as the Spirit Cubes but in his way stand five warriors, ready to defend Earth!
1. Episode 1: The Hunt is On

Racing through the emptiness of space was the Ethospear, one of the most revered, and feared, ships in the entire universe, with it's bright lavender and gold highlights all adorned across its sleek hull. It was a ship that was proud of its status, and its owner was even prouder to show it off. Sitting inside the cockpit was one of the most notorious individuals in all of the universe; somebody who absolutely revelled in the infamy he attained over the centuries. He was the self-proclaimed "greatest pirate of all the stars"; he was Arcadyx and if he wants something, he always gets it. As he sat on his throne of a seat, watching every star and planet zoom by in hyperspace, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, his underlings; the endless Tentycons, manned the stations, all speaking in their clicks and whistles, working to pilot the ship. The ship soon slowed out of hyperspace, revealing the vibrant rings of Saturn out the window.

He stood up from his massive seat and walked toward the windows, as the holographic displays calculated the destination, while a big smile formed on his face. "Alright, boys! We're almost at our destination! The greatest treasure in all of the universe is right in our grasp!" he cackled like a maniac as the ship roared toward its goal. Meanwhile, on a not-so-distant planet, deep underground there was a man on their knees in a prayer position as still as the stone around him; eyes tightly shut and his mind in deep thought. In his hands were what looked like two rubik's cubes covered in stone, with small veins of vibrant blue energy flowing through them. Suddenly, without warning, the man's eyes opened wide; something was coming to this world, and it was time to prepare for its arrival. Almost on cue, the two cubes slowly rose from his hands, and quickly raced behind him and out through a nearby cavern entrance.

Meanwhile, a small black pickup truck arrives in the town of Spring Shallows, which was founded in the early 60s and is best known for its world class conservation center, designed to house and protect endangered species. Stepping out of the passenger's side was a man in his early twenties in a brown leather jacket, tan T-shirt and black jeans. "Ladies and gentlemen, strange seekers of all ages! We are here in the town of Spring Shallows investigating the newly surfaced rumors of "ghost lights" that have been spotted in the nearby woods of the town. Is it a simple prank, or... could it be something much more sinister? I'm Nathan Morrison, and this... is Cryptoseekers." said the man to the phone in his left hand. Another man stepped out from the driver's seat wearing a white sleeveless shirt and brown cargo shorts. This was Nathan's best friend Joshua DeMarco, who's been with him through thick and thin.

"I swear, Nate, if this ends up being another goosechase like that Lake Monster of Saneda City or Golem of Stone Canyon..." said Josh, in a frustrated manner, prompting Nate to shut his phone off and give him a disappointed look. "Well how was I supposed to know that golem was some weird cosplay of Ultra Rockman RX some kid was doing?!" he responded. "Besides, I swear this story is 100% true! I've got legitimate sources confirming this! This could be the big break we're looking for, man!" said Nate, eyes as wide as they can go, as Josh just sighed, crossing his arms. "Alright, look... if this ends up being another fake, I will personally, on camera, apologize to you and every one of our viewers... heck, I will pay you for all the gas we used driving here, deal?" he said, as Josh turned to him. "Deal." he responded, as they both shook hands. "Okay, so... what's the plan, Nate?" he asked.

"Our first stop is the Bernadine Park Ranger Station, that's where the lights were supposedly seen last, so we'll check there first." said Nate, as they stepped back into the truck and started driving through downtown. As Summer started rolling in, Spring Shallows could have thousands of people visiting; not just for its conservation center, but also for the fact it's a popular coastal town, and can bring surfers and beach goers from all around the world. As Josh continued driving the truck through town, Nate just stared out the window, watching the endless cavalcade of civilians walk zoom by on the sidewalks, entering and exiting the various shops and stores all along the street; one such store was the Spring Shallows National Supermall, and just outside it was the town's official mascot, Barry the Blue Whale, since the town is also known for being a perfect place for spotting Blue Whales.

The drive up to the mountains took about half an hour, and the two intrepid investigators pulled up on the long abandoned Ranger Station. Nate stepped out of the truck, phone in hand and getting footage of the Station. "There it is, folks. The remains of the Bernadine Park Ranger Station! These woods were subject to a nasty wildfire in the 1950s thanks to a severe thunderstorm, and unfortunately the Ranger Station was caught in the blaze, and it was never rebuilt. Now we're here because the ghost lights were last spotted here by two birdwatchers who were out for a hike." said Nate, speaking into the phone's built in microphone, capturing footage of what was left of the station. Josh circled around the back of the ruins, and was about to step inside the burnt door frame when something caught his attention; he could hear some kind of low buzzing noise, but it didn't sound like any insect he had heard of.

He turned around, staring into the endless sea of trees and dirt but there was nothing there; nothing that he could see anyways. "Hey, uh Nate?" called Josh, feeling very uneasy about the situation, like they were being watched. Nate walked around the back, phone still in hand and capturing every moment. "What's up?" asked Nate, his phone's camera fixated on Josh. "I think there's something else out here, like we're being watched or something." responded Josh, as Nate turned to his right and began filming the woods, hoping to see something but he too didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The buzzing quickly started up again, this time much louder than before, something the two could physically feel. Nate turned to Josh. "You feel that?" he asked, as Josh quickly nodded. Nate took a few steps forward, when for whatever reason, his phone suddenly died on him.

"What the?!" he quipped, as he tried turning the phone back on to no avail. "I just charged this thing on the drive up here!" he said, turning around to Josh with a look of pure confusion. The buzzing grew even louder and deeper than before, as Nate took several steps back to Josh. "Hey, uh did your "sources" mention anything about this?" asked Josh, turning to Nate. "No... no they did not..." he responded, as the buzzing grew to near deafening levels. The two tried cupping their ears to try and block out the buzzing to no success. It continued for what felt like forever when, suddenly, it stopped. The pair lowered their arms and started looking around in confusion. "What was that about?" asked Josh. "I have... no idea. That was unlike any investigation we've ever done." responded Nate, his ears still ringing from the buzzing. Then, out of the corner of his vision, something caught his attention... something bright.

Behind one of the many trees were two bright shining lights that slowly floated into plain view. Nate's face just lit up in shock and surprise. "Josh, you seeing this?!" he said, tapping his friend on the shoulder, as Josh looked up to see the lights as well. He gave a gasp of amazement as the two lights slowly drifted toward the duo. Nate slyly tried to switch his phone on, however it was still dead. Slipping the phone into his pocket, Nate slowly stepped toward one of the lights, raising one of his hands as if to touch it. "Uh, Nate; you sure that's a good idea?" asked Josh, as Nate just ignored him, as if he were brainwashed by the warm glow, like it was calling to him while Josh just sighed. Nate's fingers just grazed the light ball as lightly pulsated, like he activated something inside it. Josh then slowly reached out for the other light, and it too seemed to pulsate, almost in approval.

The two lights slowly descended into their hands as the brightness faded and what was left in their grasps were what looked like Cubes, emblazoned with symbols on three of its sides. Josh lifted his Cube up his face, puzzled by what just happened. "What is it?" he asked. Nate just shook his head. "I have no idea, man..." he responded, just as confused as his friend. Meanwhile, high above the atmosphere, a ship had begun to enter Earth's orbit; it was the Ethospear, finally at the end of its journey. In the cockpit, Arcadyx stared intently at the energy readings and it was clear as day to him that this was the destination. "There you are..." he whispered to himself, it was time to collect what was rightfully his. "Send down the Tentycons, and get our loot!" he barked to the crew. The ship's hangar doors opened up, sending down three of the Ethospear's personal fighters called Tetrafliers, as they descended onto Earth.

Back on Earth, Nate continued staring at his Cube. "It must be some kind of artifact, or something..." he mentioned, as he examined the symbol on the front of the Cube. "What do you think we should do with it?" asked Josh, but Nate didn't have an answer, not really anyways. "I don't know... maybe hang on it until we know exactly what it is." he responded. "How about for now, we find a place to crash, and go from there tomorrow, okay?" said Josh, while Nate nodded in agreement. The two began walking away from the ruins of the Ranger Station when the scream of a ship roared overhead, and a single Tetraflier zoomed past them, causing a sonic boom just above them, rocking the trees. "What the heck was that?!" asked Josh in a panic. Nate could only see a blur of a ship flying through the sky. "I don't know, but it doesn't seem friendly!" he responded.

"Let's get back to the truck and out of here!" he said, as the two started sprinting back to their vehicle. They were almost ten meters from the truck when what looked like a laser was shot at the vehicle, causing it to explode and knock the two back. Nate gave a cough as he tried to pick himself up off of the dirt, as he caught a glimpse of the burning truck. "Well, I hope you got insurance on the truck!" he quipped as he lifted himself off the ground. Josh was silent as he stumbled up to his feet, staring at their method of transportation being completely destroyed. "What do we do now?!" he asked Nate, as another Tetraflier swooped in behind them, projecting a beam of gray and gold light, deploying at least twenty Tentycons, all ready for action. They were clad in blues and grays with what looked like a gold vest on them, while their heads had four tentacles sticking out of them, and a single red eye in the middle of their face.

Speaking only in unintelligible clicks and whistles, they quickly swarmed around the two, as Nate and Josh prepared to stand their ground. "You think they're here for the Cubes?" asked Josh, trying to keep his eyes on each of the minions. "Yeah, but they're not gonna them if I have anything to say about it!" responded Nate, as gave a yell and charged at the Tentycons. "Wait, what are you doing?!" screamed Josh, as Nate took down one of the monsters with a shoulder block and quickly finished one off with a strike to its head. Josh quickly dodged a swing of a Tentycon's sword and landed a boot straight to its chest, sending it flying back into one of its comrades. Just as he was about to strike another with a fist, one managed to slip behind him and grabbed him by the shoulder, and with a clockwise spin a Tentycon managed to deck him in the face with enough force to actually send him into a spin.

He landed with a slam onto his back and grunt in pain. Nate managed to land a punch to one, before realizing his friend was in trouble. "Hang on, Josh! I'm coming!" he, shoving aside a Tentycon as he got into full sprint to help his friend, while another Tentycon managed to pull off a leg sweep and took Nate straight off his feet. Quickly rolling out of the way of a sword slash, Nate stumbled back up to his feet and struggled to hoist Josh back up to his feet. The horde of Tentycons managed to swarm around the two, forcing them to be backed up against each other, fists up despite the hopelessness of the situation. "Any ideas?" asked Nate, looking at his friend. "You're the genius that got us into this mess, you figure it out!" responded Josh with a yell. With a whistle not unlike a warcry, the Tentycons all charged at the two as they put their arms up to cover their heads.

But just a single solitary second before the Tentycons could finish the duo off, a massive burst of light surrounded them with a loud hiss of energy and what looked like a square shaped shield construct swirling around them, one in red and the other in yellow. The Tentycons gave many clicks and even a snarl in confusion as the two lowered their arms to find they were still alive, and floating right in front of them were the Cubes they had found earlier, covered in the same bright lights they were discovered in. The sound of a lock had echoed throughout the area, and the Cubes slowly opened up, and out came two cube animals, one based on a bird, and the other on a cat. They both flew above the duo's heads in a swirl of light and energy before doing a dive straight into the pair's bodies, culminating in an explosion of red and yellow energy. When the lights finally died down, the two friends had discovered they had changed...

They were now clad in bright suits with full helmets covering their faces. Their chests were emblazoned with the visage of an animal; an Eagle and a Lion, respectively. The Tentycons clicked and whirred in confusion, trying to process what they had just witnessed, as the two friends examined themselves. "What. Just. Happened?!" asked Josh, clad in the yellow suit. "I have no idea..." responded Nate, in the red suit. "But I'm feeling FIRED UP!" he said as he charged at the Tentycons. One of them attempted to swing its sword at him, but in a move that even surprised Nate, he leapt straight over the Tentycon's head with a laugh of surprise, landing with a leg sweep that took three straight off their feet. The Tetrafliers continued their attack pattern, firing their lasers at the two and Nate tried to do a somersault away from the laser attack, only to suddenly grow wings and take to the skies!

"Woah-hahahahaha!" screamed Nate, as he blasted off to join the Tetrafliers in the sky. Josh was left on the ground to fight off the Tentycons by himself, flipping over one and taking it down with a leglock. He was having much better luck than before, but one against dozens is still a chore. "How am I supposed to fight these guys off?!" he thought to himself, and suddenly his hands transformed into massive claws, sparking with electricity. "Alright let's try this!" he said, giving a slash to the air as electricity surged from his claw tips like a massive whip, striking the Tentycons and making them explode into massive burst of lightning, thunder and Tentycene dust, the material of which the endless Tentycon hordes are made from. Meanwhile, high above, Nate was trying to get his newfound power of flight under control, as a Tetraflier chased after him firing lasers attempting to ground him.

Laser blasts singed the air as they flew by Nate's head, while he tried to perform a quick turn around only to end up colliding into the Tetraflier, scrambling to keep his grip on the alien craft while it desperately tried to shake him off. As he crawled across the ship, Nate sooned noticed an exhaust vent that he thought he could damage enough to ground the Tetraflier as he lifted himself up to his knees. "If I had something long and sharp, I could shut this thing down!" he said to himself, and as if on cue, a black sword with white edges across the blade and a red hilt materialised in his hand. "Alright, this'll do just fine!" he said, as he plunged the sword straight into the vent and a blast of fire and sparks shot out of the vent, as Nate quickly leapt off the Tetraflier while it crashed below in a fiery explosion. Soon the other two Tetrafliers chased after Nate.

Taking a quick nosedive to the right, Nate came up around the second Tetrafliers flank and, at full speed, had sliced the alien ship completely in two, as the sword's blade quickly shifted into a whip configuration. "This thing is awesome!" he said to himself with a smile, as the two ship chunks plummeted below. Swinging his whip-blade at the final Tetraflier, the blade's tip embedded itself into the alien metal, and quickly retracted its massive blade, pulling Nate at full force straight into the ship, while he gave a final slice at the ship, letting it explode in the skies in a massive fireball, as he flew straight through the flames. Down below, Josh continued his struggle against the Tentycons, and would've been overwhelmed, were it not for some help from above. With a powerful sonic boom, Nate hurdled head first toward the Tentycons, blade in hand!

"INCOMING!" he shouted, as he went into a barrel roll, spinning so fast he was a blur with his sword in whip mode. Josh quickly took notice of his friend racing towards him and swiftly rolled away, as Nate spun through what was left of the Tentycons, culminating in a huge explosion of dust and fire. Nate picked himself up from the ground while his blade dematerialized as he went to check on his friend. "You okay?" he asked Josh, giving him a helping hand up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." responded Josh, as they suddenly transformed back into their civilian clothes. "What was that about?!" asked Josh, shocked they managed to defeat the monsters. "I... I have no idea, man." responded Nate, completely out of breath, while their Cubes reappeared. "It's like these wanted us to protect them or something." he said, as they suddenly opened up, and the two Cube animals from before appeared in front of them.

"Is that a Lion?" asked Josh, as the yellow Cube animal circled around him. "I mean, you always were a cat person, weren't you?" responded Nate with a chuckle. The two Cube animals flew from them, as if they wanted to show them something. "I think they want us to follow them." said Nate. "You sure that's a good idea?" asked Josh, still dusting himself off. "I mean, they saved our skins so I think we owe them." responded Nate as he ran off with the two Cube animals, while Josh quickly followed suit. The two Cube animals led Nate and Josh on a path for at least an hour before they finally arrived at their destination. It was a relatively small cave entrance, just wide enough for the two to fit through. "I hope you're not claustrophobic!" quipped Nate as he slid down the small slope into the cave entrance, while Josh soon followed. The two Cube animals gave off a bright red and yellow glow as they led the pair through the cave.

They walked for about a minute before arriving at a dead end; it was a large stone wall, covered in ornamental carvings of some kind. "I don't think this is the right way." said Josh, as Nate checked around for an alternate around. He soon noticed two square shaped slots just by the wall. "Hey Josh, check this out." he said to his partner as the Cube animals lit up the slots. "What is it?" asked Josh. "I'm guessing some kind of mechanism for this wall?" he responded, as he noticed the slots were the same size as their Cubes. "Try sticking your Cube in there." he said, as he inserted his Cube into the left slot, while Josh put his into the right. A large clicking sound echoed through the cave, as the wall's markings glowed a bright blue and the wall dematerialized in front of the two, revealing a massive chamber with two floors. It was filled with ancient runes, flowing energy pillars and the room quietly, but very noticeably hummed with energy.

"Woah!" said Josh, mouth open as he was completely awestruck. "I have never seen anything quite like this." responded Nate, he too was in complete shock. "Welcome." said a voice from above, as the two frantically looked around to find the source. A lift slowly descended in front of them, and the man on the platform wasn't exactly what the two were expecting. He was dressed in ceremonial robes, colored in white with red and blue highlights, and he also happened to be a bird man. His beak had shown signs of battle as it was cracked and warped in a few places. "My name is Talonwing... and this is the Sanctuary." he said, arms wide open, welcoming the two. "Um... hi, my name is Nate- I mean, Nathan, and this is my friend Josh." he said with hesitation in his voice, which is understandable, as one doesn't expect to be speaking to a bird man most days.

"I see the Spirit Cubes have chosen you to bear their gift." he said, with a small smile. "You mean these?" responded Nate, holding up his Cube. "Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but we were investigating reports of strange lights in the forest and we literally just kind of ran into them." he said, trying to keep his composure. "Did you happen across any threats when you acquired the Cubes?" asked Talonwing, with a nod. Josh suddenly pushed past Nate. "Yeah, we ran into a bunch of weird tentacle faced monsters, and a couple flying ships!" he said, before Nate pushed him aside. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but could you please explain what's going on?" he asked. "Of course." responded Talonwing. "What you hold in your hands are the Spirit Cubes, they are powerful artifacts that hold the power of animal spirits within them. The creatures you had fought off are called Tentycons, they belong to a vicious pirate known as Arcadyx." he said.

"The Cubes' power, if it falls into the wrong hands, could spell disaster for the universe. For millennia, I and the Cubes had remained hidden from the world, hoping the forces of evil would never find the Cubes for his own purposes, but clearly, hiding is no longer an option. The Cubes have chosen you to be the wielders of their incredible strength; they have chosen you to become... Power Rangers." he said, as Nate and Josh's eyes opened wide. "Power Rangers?" asked Josh, looking at his Cube while Talonwing gave a nod. "Correct, Joshua. Whether by chance or by fate, you two are now the chosen defenders of Earth, and all life as we know it." responded Talonwing, as Nate gave a small chuckle. "Well, I'm not sure I have much of a choice, but I'm in for this Power Rangers business." he said with a smile. "What about you Josh? I'm not gonna have to save the universe by myself, will I?" he asked, turning to his friend.

Josh gave a small sigh. "Well, this is probably a bad idea, but... I'm in too." he responded. "Excellent, now come... We have much to do to prepare for the next attack." responded Talonwing, with a smile. Back up in the Ethospear, Arcadyx simply stared at the bright blue Earth, tapping his fingers on the massive seat. "So... those little Cubes and the bird brain got themselves some bodyguards, eh?" he said to himself. "Well then... this hunt just got a little more interestin'..." he spoke with a vicious growl.


	2. Episode 2: A Splash of Blue

Up on the Ethospear, Arcadyx was sitting in his chair, staring out at the planet Earth. "So, as you all probably know... things have gotten slightly more complicated..." he said, watching as the sun shined brightly over Earth. "It turns out our little feathered friend has got himself a right pair of bodyguards, a couple little Power Rangers it seems!" A big smile formed across his face. "Too bad they're pretty dime a dozen when it comes to this backwater blue ball!" He said with a chuckle. "So, which one of you wants to crush me some Rangers... and get me my Cubes." he asked his three generals. "Send me down, boss. The rats will be nothing but paste..." said the first with a snarl, who was covered in massive blue square shaped crystals across his entire body, including his gigantic shoulders. His head had no eyes to speak of; only a set of razor sharp teeth could be seen on his crystalline jaw.

His name was Cuborax, and to say he was a nasty customer would be a massive understatement. The second general, Khamelia, simply gave a chuckle. "Oh, you would sooner crush those poor Cubes into dust rather than capture them. What this mission requires is a woman's touch..." she said with a tone as soft as a kitten. She was clad in black and green with a gold honeycomb design on her knees and chest. She too had no visible eyes on her face, like her crystalline comrade, while large strands of tentacle-like hair grew out the back of her head. Cuborax gave a growl. "A "woman's touch" would only make things worse." he snarled with disdain while Khamelia gave a smirk. "Perhaps a lesson in mind over muscle would sharpen your mind." she said with a chuckle. "Alright, that's enough. You two sound like a bunch of newly hatched Jetlings." remarked Arcadyx, standing up from his seat.

He was clad in bright reds, deep blacks and shining gold across his armored body. His eyes glowed a sinister bright red, while long tassels hung from his head, shaped in the style of a pirate's hat. "Perhaps a little vote on my end might be required, since you two both still make some convincing cases but are more keen to bicker like babies I pick..." he said, putting his hands together, but before he could make a decision, the sound of laughter was heard behind him. "Allow me to save you the trouble, Captain!" said the voice, revealing his third and final general. "It is I, the Curse of The Choushin Cluster! The Bane of The Bima System! The Scourge of Sharivan Itself... Spikester!" he proudly proclaimed. Appropriately fitting to his name, he was clad in jet black metals and covered from head to toe in razor sharp spikes. Khamelia gave an amused chuckle while Cuborax was evidently unimpressed.

"As if a showboating runt like yourself could even take a Voltrat Whelp with a cold..." retorted Cuborax. "Oh and what's the matter, you blue blockhead? Is that a bit of jealousy I hear from you?" quipped Spikester, and just as Cuborax was about to send one of his crystalline fists straight into Spikester's face, Arcadyx stepped in between the two monsters. "Okay, cool it you two..." he said, putting up both of his hands in front of the two. "You make a solid case, Spikester. Alright, I'll be sendin' you down to eliminate those little Rangers and get me my Cubes." he said, standing right in front of the spiked scoundrel. "Don't disappoint me." he finished, his tone of voice growing cold. "Disappointment is a foreign concept to me, sir!" responded Spikester, racing off to the Teletransporter Room. Cuborax gave a grumble. "You don't expect that fraud to actually win, do you boss?" inquired Cuborax.

Arcadyx gave a small chuckle. "Consider it a bit of good ol' friendly entertainment... we have all the time in the universe on our side." he said with a grin. Back down on Earth, inside the Sanctuary, our two heroes Nate and Josh were locked in combat in the Sanctuary's Sparring Pit; while they definitely managed to hold off a few Tentycons just a minute after morphing for the first time, refinement was definitely needed for these two to properly perform their duties as Power Rangers. Josh gave a right hook to Nate, which he swiftly blocked and responded with a lightning quick spinning back fist. Josh quickly ducked underneath the incoming attack, and landed a massive punch to Nate's chest, with enough force to send him flying into a nearby wall. But with the grace of an Eagle, just like the spirit that resided within him, landed feet first and kicked off the wall and spun like a twister back down to the floor, landing with a slide.

This quickly transitioned into a lightspeed dash for a brief second, before Josh attempted to counter with a roundhouse kick, but Nate gracefully leaped over him behind his back, and well before Josh could process the thought of turning around and landing a blow, Nate gave a quick leg sweep to his friend turned combatant, with enough force to send him in a spin and landing face first with a massive thud in to the dirt. Josh gave a groan of pain while Talonwing gave a nod in approval. "Very good. Both of you." said the bird man. "Not sure what I did right though. I got my butt whooped." responded Josh, as the fallen Yellow Ranger picked himself up off of the dirt. "Just lifting yourself up from the ground, after defeat, shows you have strength, in more than just a physical way." said Talonwing, as Josh wiped the dirt from his clothes. Nate gave his knuckles a crack and his arms a stretch. "He's not wrong, dude." he chimed in.

"Defeat can be a dangerous adversary, but also a powerful teacher." responded Talonwing, with a small nod. Josh, however, gave a sigh of frustration. "You will grow stronger, Joshua. With practice and time." said the team's mentor. Just as Josh finished wiping all the dirt from his clothes, one of the five crystal totems in the center of the Sanctuary began to shine a bright blue; the five totems represent the five Spirit Cubes still out in the world, the first was for Nathan's, glowing red and the second shined a bright yellow for Josh's, the last two totems remained dark, as their Cubes were yet to be found. The trio exited the Sparring Pit and entered the center of the room, where Talonwing soon knelt down on his knees. "A moment, please." said the bird man, before closing his eyes and beginning his meditation with the totem. The low hum of energy echoed throughout the Sanctuary

As the meditation proceeded, the totem fed the information of the Cube's whereabouts to Talonwing, during which his expression remained stone faced. Several minutes had passed before the meditation had finished, and Talonwing lifted himself up from the ground. "So, where's the next Cube?" asked Josh, just before Nate quickly elbowed him in the arm. "Jeez, give him a second to recover!" he whispered in his friend's ear. "No, it is fine... From what the Spirit Totem had told me, the third Spirit Cube is surrounded by water, in a place of protection and recovery." responded Talonwing, as the two Rangers pondered where he could be referring to. "It's probably hiding in the Conservation Center, back in town; I know they house aquatic animals." said Josh, as Nate nodded in agreement. "I guess even the Spirits are into tourist attractions," he chuckled.

"Just one problem. We don't have a vehicle to get back to town, at least not anymore thanks to Arcadyx's goons; any ideas?" asked Nate. "There is... The Spirit Cubes can transport its users to wherever they are needed." responded Talonwing. "You mean, we can just teleport anywhere at any time?" inquired Josh. "That is correct." nodded Talonwing, in agreement. "Simply input code 3-6-4, keep your destination inside your mind and you will arrive there." he finished. Nate quickly flipped open his Cube. "Well, in that case, let's go Cube Hunting." he quipped, beginning to input the transportation code. "I will watch your progress through your Spirits, to guide you when needed. But be careful, however, I fear Arcadyx's forces may be mobilizing to capture the next Spirit Cube." warned Talonwing. "We'll be ready for 'em." responded Nate, as finished inputting the code along with Josh.

A bright flash of red and yellow light shined brightly in the Sanctuary for a brief second, before the two vanished. Back in Spring Shallows, in an alley right next to the Conservation Center, the two arrived with a red and yellow flash. Luckily, there wasn't anybody around to see them be instantly teleported, not even the smallest beetle. "Wow, it actually worked." said Josh, looking around. "I hope you didn't forget your wallet at the Sanctuary!" chuckled Nate, as the two joined the masses arriving at the Conservation Center entrance. The entrance consisted of a huge white building with large metal struts supporting the roof; a massive metal and wood sign sat just above the doors with the writing "Spring Shallows Conservation Center" in bright green and gold. The inside was painted a bright white, and about as clean and shiny as you could get, from the ceiling to the floor.

Admittance inside was about ten dollars, which the two paid. In front of them there were about four different hallways, each leading to a different section of the Center. "Any ideas?" asked Josh, hands to his hips, while Nate gave a contemplative look. "Split up, we'll cover more ground that way. I'll take the left, you take the right." he replied, while Josh gave a nod in response. "Hang on, how do we know where the Cube is hiding?" whispered Josh. "Well, uh... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." he responded, with a shrug. Josh just sighed and the two split up. Nate's path took him past the Cat, Bird and Rhino enclosures while Josh's took him by the Reptile, Insect and Canine enclosures. Of course, the center was massive and trying to see everything it had would take several hours. During those several hours, Josh was slowly beginning to lose hope; was this whole thing just some wild goose chase?

What if Talonwing was lying to them? Was he actually working for Arcadyx just to throw them off? Whatever the outcome was, Josh was just wandering by the Aquatic enclosures, hands in his pockets when he noticed something inside one of the tanks. He noticed a medium sized Blue Shark swimming around among the rocks and artificial coral put inside for decoration, eating the chum that was tossed in from above. There was one thing that was off about this shark though; its dorsal and one of its pectoral fins were torn and cut apart; in fact the shark had some trouble swimming around its tank. He leaned in towards the glass, pretty much pressing his forehead against it. Suddenly, a whistling noise emerged from within his head. It sounded familiar, yet this was the first time he had never heard it before. His Spirit Cube soon materialized in his hand; looking down he saw it giving off a faint white-blue glow, pulsing lightly like a heartbeat.

"How's the hunt?" said a voice from behind, making him nearly jump out of his skin in fright. Giving a small growl in frustration, he turned around to see Nate standing behind him, in his right hand was a cheeseburger. "Seriously?" asked Josh, staring at Nate as he continued to eat his meal. "What, I got hungry so I grabbed a bite to eat!" he responded. Josh just stood there in silence, while Nate finished off his meal in a few bites. "Well, while you were busy chowing down I found this." said Josh, pointing to the tank behind him. Nate leaned toward the glass. "My Cube was starting to act funny when I found the Shark." said Josh, while Nate continued to observe the shark. "That's gotta be the sign the Cube is here." responded Nate. "Now the question is: how do we recover it?" he inquired. "Can I help you two with something?" asked a voice to their right.

Turning around they saw a woman dressed in a green, white and gold uniform; evidently he was one of the employees at the center. Her skin was a light brown and her voice had a notable Australian or New Zealand accent to it. "We were just... uh, checking out the shark tank here." responded Nate, trying to come up with a good cover story; obviously saying they were searching for an artifact would be rather strange and get them tossed out probably. "Yeah, she's a bit of an attraction, that one. Her name's Mizu." said the woman, staring into the tank. "What happened to her?" asked Josh, pointing at the shark's obvious injuries. "We found her caught up in a fishing net about a year ago. She was hurt pretty bad, and never fully recovered from it. If she were to just be released back into the wild, she'd never survive. So, we decided to give her a permanent home here.

"I've been taking care of her ever since." she said. Nate's eyebrows cocked up. "You're her caretaker?" he asked. "That's right, I make sure she's well fed, clean and happy. My name is Miranda, by the way." she replied, giving her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Nathan, or just Nate to my friends." he responded, shaking her hand. "That's my buddy Josh." he said, pointing to his friend. "Pleasure to meet you!" said Josh, giving out his hand for a handshake as well. What he didn't realize, however, was the hand he was giving out also held his Spirit Cube. "What's that?" asked Miranda, gesturing to his artifact. Josh's eyes widened in panic and his speech devolved into incoherent stammering while Nate gave a facepalm in the background. In Miranda's presence, the Cube's glowing actually began to grow brighter and energy flowed out of the Cube, flowing like smoke or water toward the tank.

Mizu seemed to take notice. Her body also began to radiate energy, turning slightly transparent and ethereal, like a ghost. It was making quite the scene, however, and there were dozens of people staring at the trio, taking pictures of the glowing shark. Miranda reached for her walkie-talkie. "Simon, we have a situation with Mizu..." she said. "Is something wrong? Is she hurt?" he answered. "Not exactly, it's... complicated." she replied. "Uh... okay, I'll be there ASAP." responded Simon. "Thanks." finished Miranda, turning to Nate and Josh. "You two, with me. Right now." she said, sternly. Nate gave a frustrated sigh. "Nice going, you idiot!" he whispered to Josh, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I... I forgot!" stammered Josh. Miranda led the two to the employee's lounge, shutting the door behind them. "Alright, what is this thing and did you two do to Mizu?" she commanded, snatching the Cube out of Josh's hand, her expression growing more and more angry.

"Listen, if I told you what was going on and why we're here... you probably wouldn't believe us." responded Nate, trying to defuse the situation. Miranda crossed her arms. "Try me." she said, eyes tightening. "Okay, so..." Nate held out his hand, and his Cube materialized. "These are Spirit Cubes, they're imbued with the power of Animal Spirits." Miranda's right eyebrow cocked up. "There are five out in the world, we have two and we think Mizu is the third in disguise. The reason we're looking for them is because there is a really bad guy named Arcadyx coming here to get them for his own purposes. If he gets all five, all of Earth or even the GALAXY could be in huge trouble." he finished, while Miranda stood in silence, trying to process what Nate said. "...You're insane." she finally responded, while Nate's hands dropped to his sides, and a look of frustration boiled over his face.

"Hey, this is all just as crazy for me as it is for you but the absolute LAST thing Nate would do is lie." interrupted Josh, taking back his Cube. Suddenly, the muffled sound of an explosion and ensuing panic echoed throughout the center. "What was that?" asked Miranda, concerned. "Trouble." responded Nate, as the trio raced out of the room. Pushing past the panicked crowds, they returned to the entrance. Greeting them just outside the center was the sight of Spikester and a full battalion of Tentycons attacking civilians. "Well well well, you three must be the ones who triggered that energy spike! So glad you could give away the Cube's location for us!" barked the spiked monster. "Is that Arcadyx?" inquired Miranda. "I don't know." responded Nate. "Now, hand over the Cube or you'll get the sharp end of my wrath!" demanded Spikester, but the three weren't having it. Nate turned to Miranda.

"Try and get the civilians out, we'll hold them off." he whispered. Miranda quickly nodded and raced off. "If you want the Cubes so bad, come and get 'em, Pinhead!" shouted Nate, holding up his Cube. "What did you just call me, punk?!" responded Spikester, completely outraged. "You ready?" asked Nate, turning to Josh. "I'm gonna have to be." responded Josh. "Good..." Nate turned back to Spikester. "Because It's Morphin' Time!" he proclaimed. The duo twisted the top of the Cubes so the front symbol was complete. Opening the Cubes, the two were engulfed in light for a brief second before completing their morph. "So, you're the two little heroes I've heard about! Oh how fun it'll play Pin The Spike On The Ranger!" quipped Spikester, as the Tentycons readied for battle. "Don't count on it, Spikes For Brains!" responded Nate, running his hand over his helmet as though he were slicking his hair.

"Because when you mess with Earth, it bites back!" With that, the two Rangers charged into battle. Josh managed to tackle one of the Tentycons with a shoulder block followed by a quick punch, while Nate flipped past two more, pulling off an upside down split kick to the two goons; his boots landing in their alien faces as they fell to the ground with a thud. Glancing behind him, he saw three more Tentycons rush toward him, weapons at the ready. With a flick of his wrist, his trusted weapon, the Spirit Whipblade, materialized in his hand in a reverse grip and in a lightning quick blur of red, sliced down the three goons in a burst of Tentycene dust and bright red energy. Josh suddenly leapt over him in a spectacular flip, eager to take out the villain in front of them. "He's mine!" he shouted, charging into the fray towards Spikester. "Joshua, don't!" warned Talonwing, as a guiding voice inside the Ranger's heads.

Josh, however, just ignored his mentor and leapt into the air, with the grace and fury of the lion spirit within him. "Spirit Surge!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, summoning his lightning charged claws. Josh slammed the two electrified energy whips down at the villain as hard as he could muster, but Spikester quickly rolled out of the Ranger's way, dodging the explosion of lightning and flying debris. "Looks like you're all shock and no awe!" mocked Spikester. "Shut up!" shouted Josh, angrily swinging his claws to the right, throwing his lightning whips across the sky. But in a blur of red wind, Nate barrelled through the villain knocking him straight off his feet, with the Ranger landing with a slide. "You alright?" asked Nate, quickly picking himself up off the ground. "Yeah, I'm okay." responded Josh, dusting himself off.

"You cannot face threats such as him alone, Joshua; you are part of a team!" spoke Talonwing to Josh, who gave a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry. I just... I wanted to prove myself." he said. "Well, it'd be kinda hard to do that if you get yourself killed." responded Nate. "We're partners," he held out his hand "and we're gonna beat him together, got it?" Josh gave a nod in response, gripping his partner's hand with determination, before the two turned toward their foe. "Isn't that adorable? I'll make sure to destroy both of you at once!" quipped Spikester, as he readied more spikes from his body and arms. "You're more than welcome to try!" responded Josh, as the two Rangers readied themselves for battle once more and charged forth. "Spirit Surge!" shouted Nate, as his wings re-emerged across his arms and he took off in a sonic boom, smashing straight into Spikester with enough force to send him flying.

The spiked villain flew backwards in impressive fashion with a frightened scream, before landing with a thunderous slide, while Josh leapt high into the air with his claws out, and his lightning whips smashing into the villain in a spectacular explosion of dirt and lightning, leaping backwards away from the blast and joining his partner. "That should do it!" said Nate, dismissing his wings, while Josh did the same with his claws. But once the sparks and debris soon cleared... "I don't even have a scratch!" said a voice, firing a storm of spikes from his arm cannon at the Rangers, slicing and piercing the two and forcing the two off their feet and de-morphing them; Spikester was still up and able to fight. "Well, this has been a fun little diversion, but I have a Cube to collect!" taunted the villain, rushing off into the Conservation Center. The two Rangers struggled back to their feet.

"There's still civilians in there! And Miranda, too!" said Josh, trying to pick himself up. "Come on, let's go!" replied Nate, giving a hand to his friend and charging back into the Center. Inside, Miranda continued helping civilians through one of the emergency exits, along with Simon. "Okay everyone, through the exit, stay calm and keep in line! Help is on the way!" she said, leading a group of people through the door. Out of the corner of her eye, however, was Mizu still in her tank. In the chaos, she was still trapped. "Simon, keep those people safe! I'll catch up!" she quickly said to her partner, before running off. "Wait, where are you going?! MIRANDA!" shouted Simon, as Miranda bolted off to the tank. As she reached the tank, two Tentycons emerged from the hallways, armed with blades and more than ready to take her out. She swiftly responded with a spinning kick to one and an elbow strike to the other.

Just as she was about to head for the control room to open up Mizu's tank, a massive spike came flying by Miranda's head, embedding itself in the wall just beside the glass. Turning around, she saw Spikester accompanied by another squad of Tentycons. "So, that must be the Cube in disguise! How cute of it to put itself in a fish tank, just for me to take!" taunted the villain, as Miranda readied herself for battle. As the Tentycons prepared to charge her, most of them were whipped into submission by Nathan's Whipblade, as the two Rangers quickly arrived to join Miranda. "Are you alright?" asked Josh, standing at Miranda's right. "Yeah." she replied, giving a small nod. "I need to get Mizu out of here, there's a control station in the back I can use to open her tank doors up and get her to safety." she said, as the two Rangers gave a quick nod. "We'll hold these guys off." responded Nate, as he and Josh readied themselves for the fight.

However, Spikester reached into a small pouch on his right leg, holding a supply of Tentycene Disks. Tossing the alien devices on the ground, a whole new squadron Tentycons emerged in a burst of light and dust. "Let's Ranger Up!" shouted Josh. Summoning their Spirit Cubes, the two Rangers prepared to morph once again. "Spirits Within!" the two Rangers shouted to summon their Ranger form. "Oh no you don't!" shouted Spikester, firing a volley of spikes at the two Rangers just before they could morph, blasting the two back straight into the glass, with enough force to begin cracking it. As the two heroes fell to the floor, their Cubes flew out of their hands landing right next to them, with the Tentycons all rushing to restrain the Rangers. "I'll just be taking those..." quipped Spikester, taking the two Cubes. "No you're not!" shouted Miranda, as she tried leaping on the Spikester's back.

She struggled to stay on him as he continued trying to shake her off. "Get off me, you brat!" shouted the villain, finally managing to throw Miranda off his back, with her landing hard on the concrete floor, as the two Rangers struggled to break themselves from the Tentycons' clutches to no avail. Spikester gave a belly laugh, as Miranda tried picking herself up from the ground. "I gotta admit, this has been a fun little expedition of sorts..." he said, aiming his cannon arm at Miranda. "But, all good things must come to an end..." However, as he said this, the trademark sound of cracking glass rumbled through the air. Taking a quick glance, the trio all saw Mizu desperate trying to break the glass even more than usual; as if she was trying to break out, ramming the crack as hard as she could. "...Mizu?" said Miranda, confusion boiling up within her. Spikester gave another laugh.

"Awww, perhaps your little friend here knows better than to mess with The Scourge of Sharivan Itself!" he chuckled, stepping over Miranda and standing right in front of Mizu's tank. "Now come to papa Spikester, little fishy..." he finished, opening his arms wide. But with one final headbutt against the glass, and her body giving the same ethereal glow as before, she smashed open the tank, with water splashing the Tentycons and the Rangers in spectacular fashion, glass shards sent crashing to the floor, and her jaws wide open, latching right onto Spikester's face. "Let go of me, 'ya overgrown anchovy!" screamed Spikester, struggling to pull of the small shark from his face. Mizu finally released her grip, flying with a bright flash before quickly transforming into the next Spirit Cube, which fell to the ground right next to Miranda, which she quickly grabbed.

"Hey wait, that's my Cube! Give it back, now!" angrily shouted Spikester, as the Tentycons readied themselves behind him. "Miranda, match the front symbol and open the Cube!" shouted Josh, as Miranda quickly matched the front emblem. The Cube quickly forced itself open, revealing another Cube animal just as Nate and Josh found, this one being a blue colored shark. Pulling a nose dive straight into Miranda, a quick blast of blue energy burst out... and had given Miranda her own Ranger form. "Incredible..." she quietly said to herself, examining her new form. "WHAT?!" shouted Spikester, in disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me! Another Ranger?!" he stuttered, as the Tentycons swarmed around their leader. "Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" shouted Nate, grinning like an idiot. Readying herself for battle, Miranda charged forward as the Tentycons' did the same.

As the swarm circled around her, Miranda flipped past the cabal of foot soldiers like a beautiful gymnast and as she landed with a knee to the floor, a surge of spirit energy flowed through her, soon revealing a massive shark fin on her back. Putting herself in full sprint, she leapt forward at the Tentycons, which instantly transformed her into a spinning glowing disk, slicing through each one of the baddies like a hot knife through butter with the grace of the shark spirit within her. She landed with a hard slide as the Tentycons crumbled to dust and fire. "Why you wretched little punk!" screamed Spikester, swinging his cannon arm at Miranda, who quickly pulled off a backflip and suddenly disappeared into the ground with a splash! "What the?! Where'd you go?!" he shouted, confusion completely overwhelming him. Without warning, Miranda reappeared behind him, spinning wildly and knocking the Spirit Cubes out of his hand.

She quickly caught them before they landed and swiftly landed in front of the other Rangers. "I think you dropped these." she quipped, handing the Cubes over to Nate and Josh before turning to Spikester. "Give those back right now, or you're gonna get it!" shouted Spikester, aiming his arm cannon. "Oh we're gonna get it alright!" replied Nate. "We're gonna get your butt whooped!" The two Rangers readied themselves. "Spirits Within, Awaken!" they both called out, before morphing once more. Spikester gave a monstrous roar as he and the Rangers quickly charged at each other. Nate quickly summoned his Whipblade, as Spikester fired several spikes at him. As quickly as the Eagle spirit inside him, he swiftly sliced the projectiles out of the air before hastily leaping into the air and coming down with a massive strike.

"Spirit Surge!" he shouted, his wings emerging by his arms and grabbing hold of Spikester and hoisting him into the air. "Going up!" he quipped, flying up through the open ceiling and high above the Conservation Center. "Put me down, you runt!" shouted Spikester, struggling to get free. "Can do!" joked Nate, releasing Spikester a good 100 metres above the entrance of the Center. "Wait no, not like that!" screamed Spikester, as he plummeted straight back down to the ground, landing on the concrete stairs like a brick. Miranda and Josh quickly emerged at the entrance as Nate landed swiftly in front of them. "Oww!" shouted Spikester, holding his head in pain. "You punks are really starting to get on my nerves! It's about time to put an end to this!" The other Rangers readied themselves. "He's right, let's finish him off!" said Nate to the others, as all three charged forward as the villain did the same.

Nate flipped high above over Spikester's head, spinning like a top while slicing away at Spikester before landing one last blow on him, and landing a heavy dropkick at his back. "All yours!" he called out, as Josh leapt into the fray, claws out and landing four savage blows on Spikester before flipping away, as Miranda also activated her Spirit Surge mode, slicing at him as well, before flying straight at Josh. "Give me a boost!" she called out, as Josh leapt towards her. "Hey, Pointy!" he shouted. "Catch this!" Josh caught the still spinning Miranda in his claws, tossing her like a discus with the full strength of the Lion spirit. Miranda swiftly sliced through Spikester, landing with a heavy slide on the ground. Spikester screamed in pain, as he fell to the ground and landed with a thud and a blast of dark energy and fire.

The Rangers celebrated their victory. "Heck yeah, that's what we're talking about!" said Nate, hugging Miranda. "Not bad for my first day as a Ranger, huh?" responded Miranda, as the other two Rangers gave a laugh. "You got that right." said Josh. Back on the Ethospear, Arcadyx observed the carnage that had occurred. "Well, ain't that a right disappointment, ain't it?" he quipped, legs crossed and head held in his hand. "What else did you expect from a pathetic whelp as him?" snarled Cuborax. "No worries... I prefer to play with my prey before the big catch. Besides, I have a special something for these little brats..." snickered Arcadyx, as he pressed a button on the right arm of his chair, and out popped a golden coin, with cracks in the center shaped like a star, which he caught out of the air. "A Megadallion, sir?" asked Khamelia, concerned.

Arcadyx chuckled to himself. "A little soon, I admit... but I got plenty more to spare..." he said, sticking the Megadallion in the coin slot just below the button used to summon the alien device. A few seconds later, a small cannon fires the coin straight at Earth, with a very specific target in mind. The Megadallion gave a hiss as it flew through the open skies, not unlike a screeching banshee, which Josh quickly took notice of. "Hey, what's that?" he asked, pointing at the glowing object falling to Earth, which soon embedded itself in Spikester's chest, and quickly phasing through him... which suddenly triggered a massive growth transformation! The Rangers stumbled back, as Spikester grew to the size of a skyscraper in a matter of seconds. "I'm sharpened up and ready to stomp you pests out!" he shouted, staring down at the ant sized Rangers.

He raised his left foot, hoping to crush the Rangers underneath as they scrambled out of the way of his heel. "How do we stop this guy?!" asked Josh, panicked. "Talonwing, this guy just got a nasty growth spurt, what do we do?!" asked Nate, through his Cube. "Remain calm, Nathan. Summon your Spirits, they will fight by your side." responded Talonwing, almost in a state of zen. As he said this, the trio's Cubes right sides' glowed a vibrant gold. They each turned the Cubes' top segment to match the right side, as the Cubes opened up, and the Cube animals from before arose from their vessels. "Those are your Cubezords, your spirits manifested." he spoke. "Alright, now we're talking!" said Nate, as the trio quickly transported to their Cubezords. The cockpits were of stone design with veins of white energy flowing through them. The control mechanism consisted of an energy field and a single stone pillar where the Spirit Cube could be inserted.

Slotting the Cube into the slot, the energy quickly shifted to red, blue and yellow, for their respective Rangers. "Eagle Cubezord, ready for battle!" said Nate. "Shark Cubezord, all systems ready!" responded Miranda. "Lion Cubezord, let's do it!" finished Josh, as the three Zords took off for battle. The Eagle Cubezord sliced past Spikester in lightning quick fashion, as he gave a grunt in pain. "We gotta get this guy away from the city!" said Nate, circling around the villain. "Come on big guy, catch me if 'ya can!" he taunted. Spikester roared in anger. "I'll swat you out of the skies, you punk!" he hollered, as he chased the Zord into the nearby countryside, away from civilization. "Here, catch this!" shouted Spikester, firing a barrage of spikes at Nate. In lightning quick fashion, the Cubezord folded back into Cube form for extra protection against projectiles, as the spikes simply bounced off its armor.

"Time to return the favor!" Nate said to himself, motioning his hands inside the command field, as the Cubezord unleashed a concentrated beam of red energy from the top cannon just above its head, blasting Spikester straight in the chest. "Coming in from behind!" said Josh, as both the Lion and Shark Cubezord leapt up from behind the villain, with their mighty metallic jaws open wide. Both Zords clamped down on Spikester's arms with primal strength, trying to hold the villain down, as Nate quickly circled back around, aiming directly at Spikester. "I'm comin' in hot!" he said to the others, ready to ram Spikester directly in the chest. But, with an unexpected show of strength, "I think you dropped this!" he shouted, as he smashed Nate out of the sky with the Lion Cubezord, as both of the machines crashed into the ground with a mighty slam, before glancing at the Shark Cubezord on his cannon arm.

"Now as for you..." he said to the Zord, moments before slamming his arm into the ground with a hammer-like swing, prying it from his weaponized appendage. "Looks like you're all washed up!" he said, before firing a volley of spikes directly at the Zord before brutally kicking it straight at the other two, sparking wildly from the impact. "And to think I nearly thought myself to be outmatched!" laughed Spikester, as the Rangers tried picking themselves up inside their cockpits. "He's too strong, our Zords aren't enough! What do we do?!" panicked Miranda. Nate silently stared at his Spirit Cube, remembering the front emblem with five animals on it. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Josh, you remember what Talonwing said about working together?" he asked. "Yeah, why?" replied Josh. "Well, maybe our Zords can work together, as one!" he finished, confidently. "That is correct, Nathan! Together, you are more!" said Talonwing.

"Unite your Zords as one body and one soul. Only together can you win." he finished. "Alright, let's do it!" said Nate, pulling out his Spirit Cube, as the third and final side of it glowed a beautiful bright blue. Matching the symbol revealed the face of a machine. "Match up the final side and re-insert your Cubes, guys. We got this!" commanded Nate, as Miranda and Josh quickly followed his lead, putting their Spirit Cubes back inside, as a thunderous hum of energy echoed outward. "Primal Megazord, begin construction!" shouted all three, as their Cubezords quickly reverted into Cube Mode, rising high into the air. The Lion Cubezord landed back down first, soon followed by the Shark Cubezord being stacked on top of it, and finished with the Eagle Cubezord on the top. Materializing from above came a sword like device that inserted itself inside the stack of Zords.

The inside twisted, revealing the face of a machine, with a smaller sword released from the top and landing in its hands, and thus, the Primal Megazord was fully complete. "Woah, it worked!" said Miranda in complete amazement, in the team's new three man cockpit. "So, one target instead of three huh? Sounds good to me!" taunted Spikester, firing yet another volley of spikes at the newly complete Megazord. "Not so fast!" yelled Josh, motioning his hands, as the Megazord quickly slashed through the storm of projectiles without any trouble. "What?!" said Spikester, in complete and utter shock. "Let's cut this guy down to size!" responded Nate, as all three Rangers commanded the Megazord to move forward. Running forward like a mighty titan, the Megazord gave three earth shattering slashes to Spikester's chest, as he stumbled backwards from the attack.

"Is that the best you got?!" he roared, as he charged towards the Megazord, aiming his arm cannon at the colossal machine. "No, this is!" responded Miranda, as the Megazord landed a heavy punch to Spikester's head, and rammed the sword in its hand directly in the barrel of his cannon arm, sparks pouring out from every exhaust hole on the weapon, permanently disabling it. "No, my beautiful cannon arm!" shouted Spikester, staring at his now useless weapon. "Alright, time to finish this!" said Nate, as the others gave a nod in response. Twisting the Cubes a quarter to the right, then back to the left, the flowing energy glowed to almost blinding levels. "Spirit Saber, ignite!" shouted all three, as the eponymous blade suddenly burned with spiritual flame. The Megazord stepped back, sword out and ready to strike. "Spirit Slash!" cried out the Rangers, as the Megazord gave a mighty strike to the villain's abdomen.

Spikester let out a cry of pain as he fell to his knees. "No!" he screamed as loud as he could, as he fell to the ground before the immense spirit energy from the attack caused a massive explosion, finally ending the villain once and for all. Inside the cockpit, the Rangers celebrated and cheered their first major battle. "Score one for the wild!" cried out Nate, his voice almost giving out in excitement, as the Megazord stood victorious from its first, and definitely not last, battle. Sometime later, the trio transported to the entrance of their headquarters, as the stone door protecting the base dematerialized in front of them. "You're gonna like this." said Josh, just behind Miranda, as she stepped into the base. "Wow..." she quietly said to herself, a look of shock and awe spread out across her face. "This is the Sanctuary, our base of operations as it were." responded Nate, with a smile on his face.

As this happened, Talonwing stepped down from the floating platform from above, with Miranda giving a shocked expression and even readying herself for a fight, as Nate stepped in front of her. "Don't worry, he's a friend." he assured her, as she allowed her guard to be lowered. "That's Talonwing, he's kind of our boss and mentor, of sorts. He's a nice guy, y'know, once you get past the feathers." he said with a smirk. "I've got to be dreaming this, I swear..." said Miranda, still in disbelief of the situation. "I assure you, Miranda, this is all too real." responded Talonwing, calmly. Miranda's eyes widened. "How does he know my..." she asked. "We'll explain later." responded Josh, as the three Rangers stood side by side. "The third Spirit Cube has been recovered and the Shark Spirit is in the right hands." said Talonwing, observing the three.

"Yeah..." replied Miranda, looking at her Cube. "I just wish Mizu were still here..." she said, sadly. Talonwing stepped forward and put a hand on Miranda's shoulder. "Communing with the Shark Spirit, Mizu tells me you have taken great care of her, and now she wishes to return the favor. Though the form you know her best may be gone, her spirit and strength will always be with you." he said, thoughtfully. Miranda gave a small accepting nod. "Thank you." she said, quietly. "Well, I need to get back to the Center, we have a lot of work to do to get repairs up and check on the civilians." she said, as she turned around to exit. "Hold on a second, what if we lended a hand there?" asked Nate, as she turned around raising an eyebrow. "Y'know, like a job?" he said, as Josh walked up next to him. "Seriously, a job? We don't know anything about raising animals, how on Earth could we get a job at the Center?!" he asked.

"I don't know, maybe we could be janitors, or security guards, or something? Besides, I think we owe the Center some help after we lead Pins-For-Brains straight to the Cube." he said, crossing his arms, as Josh gave a defeated sigh. "We could use the help, if possible." said Miranda, as Nate looked back at his friend, eyebrows held high. "Alright, yeah, we'll lend a hand." he responded. Nate looked over to Talonwing. "If anything happens, give us a shout on our Cubes, and we'll be on our way." he said, as the bird man gave a nod in response. "Alright, then partner..." said Nate, patting his friend's back. "We got some work to do." he snickered, as Josh gave a sigh. Meanwhile, back up in orbit of Earth, Arcadyx stepped his way through the halls of his beloved ship, with Khamelia and Cuborax in tow. "I told you sending down that prickly buffoon was a mistake, Arcadyx!" growled the Cube monster.

Arcadyx, however, chuckled at Cuborax's comment. "Oh it was hardly a mistake... call it, testing the waters." he said. "When you're hunting big game, the first thing you need to do is wear it down, until it's so backed up in a corner and out of strength, it has no choice to submit to you... and believe me when I say..." responding as a door opened up, revealing what looked to be hundreds, if not, thousands of various monsters and creatures locked up in cells. "I've got plenty of ways to beat those little brats down." he finished, stepping through the door and overlooking the holding area like a king. He quickly cleared his throat. "My dear, beloved Collection!" he announced, as various roars and snarls echoed out. "I hope you've been enjoying your stay on my ship." he chuckled. "But, on the off chance you all aren't, allow me to make a special offer for you..."

The roars all soon calmed down, and the silence was deafening in the holding area. "I'm looking for five, very special items of interest... they're called Spirit Cubes, and they could make for one heck of a sale online... or, could let me and my crew take whatever we want, whenever we want, however we want. Unfortunately, those Cubes have landed on a backwater chunk of worthlessness called Earth, and even better, they've managed to get back to a feathered pest and his little lackeys... a couple little Power Rangers. Amazingly, they managed to take out Spikester, though to be honest, taking out that little showboat ain't all that difficult." he rambled, as the collected monsters listened carefully. "So, I have a deal with you sorry lot... you destroy those Power Rangers, and get my Cubes... and you join my crew in taking over the universe." he finished.

The entire holding area erupted in cheers and roars, and the Tentycons that served as guards all scurried away from the riled collection, as Arcadyx gave a smile to himself. "It's the end of the line, Talonwing... I'll take back what's rightfully mine..." he thought to himself, as he exited the holding area, ready for the next move.


	3. Episode 3: The Wild Green Yonder

Deep in the untamed jungles of South America, a team of around eight people were stationed at a small research camp, with four tents pitched up for the crew to sleep in. There were dozens of crates, filled with research equipment and food rations. Inside one of the tents was a researcher on a laptop searching through the research notes on it. This was Owen Holland, a man of about twenty-nine years. He was wearing a tan colored vest with a green T-Shirt underneath. He had medium stubble with slightly graying hair and a buzzed haircut, along with a small pair of eyeglasses. Owen was reviewing the notes he and his team had compiled on The Tusked Throne, or at least what little information they could possibly gather. From what little the notes had said, The Tusked Throne was one of many creations of a race of beings known only as the Precursors. They existed hundreds of millions of years ago, well before even the Dinosaurs.

The Precursors were unimaginably powerful beings that created an expansive civilization that spanned across the entire Earth, and then they vanished without a trace, as if they never existed in the first place. Even the smallest of artifacts like pots or tools are next to impossible to find, much less a temple of all things; this is because all Precursor relics are believed to be buried deep below the Earth, where no one is able to find them. However, about five years ago there was a mining operation that discovered a set of runes that were unlike any known civilization. Owen had managed to obtain one of these runes and spent the last half a decade trying to learn about the Precursors' way of life, what their technology was capable of and why they disappeared in the first place. An organization Owen was a part of was also interested in the discovery and preservation of Precursor artifacts, and thus funded the expedition.

Scanning through the notes, and remembering what the runes had said through a long two years worth of deciphering and translation, The Tusked Throne was an ancient temple, believed to have served as a museum of sorts, housing relics from a powerful clan of Precursors. Its estimated location was about an hour at walking distance, and they should be able to reach it without much trouble... or so he thought. He soon noticed everything was strangely quiet, even for the jungle. He put the laptop down at his side and stepped outside the tent, and soon discovered the crew was completely missing; all of the equipment was still there but the researchers were nowhere to be found. "Where could they have gone?" he thought to himself, taking a few steps forward to investigate. At that moment, Owen felt something slither over his left foot... and it wasn't a snake.

Just as he was about to look at his foot, he was quickly snatched up and flipped upside down, as thick vines quickly tangled him up, hanging him upside down. Before he was able to find out what happened, a large mound of dirt sprung up in front of him, which suddenly shifted and molded itself into a humanoid being, while giving a devilish chuckle. She was tall, dark being with bark-like skin and massive rose like plants growing out of her shoulders, with a hood like design over her ever grinning face. Her name was Vithornia, the next monster Arcadyx had sent down. Owen struggled as the monster slowly strutted up to him, chuckling quietly. "Don't worry, little weed..." she said, putting a finger to Owen's lips, before more vines quickly wrapped around his head, silencing him. "I'll be sure to come back for you." she chuckled, before shifted back into the ground, leaving Owen to struggle in vain.

Meanwhile, back in Spring Shallows, as several construction crews continued their repairs on the Conservation Center after the Rangers' battle with Spikester and the Tentycons, the Center's team of employees were gathered at the entrance. Standing in front of them was Director Mikhaila, the Center's owner and their boss. She had short brownish-black hair, with olive colored skin and brown eyes. "Everybody, I have good news and I have some bad news." she said, her hands kept behind her back. "The good news is, thanks to the efforts of a new team of Power Rangers, the Center is mostly intact; the majority of the animals are okay, and our fellow crew members are as well." she said, as the crowd gave a cheer filled applause. "Unfortunately, there is still a lot of damage done to the center, and it will take several weeks before we're ready to start operations again." she said, with a stoic expression.

"Thankfully, we do have two new members here who are willing to help us once the center is fully rebuilt and we are ready to bring in civilians again. Please welcome our new crew members Nathan Morrison and Joshua DeMarco." she said, pointing to the two standing in the center, as the other crew members gave them a welcoming applause; Nate and Josh gave a warm smile in response, while Miranda gave a nod in approval. "We were all new to the Center's ideas and routines once, so I hope you'll show them the ropes and help them reach their full potential." said Mikhaila. "As of now, however, construction crews still need time to rebuild the center, so... you'll have a couple weeks off from work for now. I will let you know if any new developments happen. Thank you." she finished, as the crew began to disperse. "Hey, uh Miranda?" said a voice, as Miranda turned around.

It was Simon, one of her co-workers and a good friend of hers for a while now. He had long blond hair with a slight bit of stubble on his face, with dark black glasses covering his brownish eyes. "Hey, Simon!" she responded, giving the man a welcoming hug. "I'm glad you're alright." he said, returning the hug. "Listen, um... I'm sorry about what happened to Mizu." he said, as her bright expression dimmed slightly. "I know she was really special to you." he finished, while she gave a nod in response. "Yeah. At least wherever she is, she's safe and not hurting anymore." she replied, giving a small smile. Simon gave a small nod, before averting his attention to Nate and Josh. "You're the new guys the Director mentioned, aren't you? I'm Simon Burke." he said, holding out a hand, as the two gave it a shake. "Glad to be here, man." responded Nate, giving a small chuckle.

"Good thing those Power Rangers came by, didn't they?" asked Simon, smiling. "Yeah, I don't know what we'd do without them." replied Nate, also chuckling nervously. "Well, anyways I gotta get going. It was nice meeting you, and can't wait to work with you guys!" finished Simon, as he left the group. "If only he knew the truth, eh?" sighed Nate, turning towards Josh and Miranda. "Yeah, no kidding." replied Josh, crossing his arms. It was then a ringing echoed out, sounding like chimes in the wind. "Sounds like our cue." said Nate, as the two headed towards the sides of the Center, away from the crowds. Nate pulled out his Cube, opening up and establishing a connection with Talonwing. "Go ahead." said Nate, staring into the Cube. "Rangers, I have located the fourth Spirit Cube. Return to the Sanctuary immediately." responded Talonwing. "Gotcha, we're on our way." finished Nate, as the team punched in the transport code and quickly disappeared in flashes of Red, Blue and Yellow.

Over in the Sanctuary, the three Rangers quickly headed to the center of the room. "What did you find, T-Dubs?" asked Nate, as Talonwing raised a confused eyebrow in response regarding his new name, as the team stood in awkward silence. "You know, T-Dubs, like T and W as in your... name, but it's just a shortening of it...?" awkwardly stumbled Nate, as Talonwing's expression remained unchanged. "Nevermind." he finished, awkwardly clearing his throat. "The fourth Cube is surrounded by stone, in a place far from Spring Shallows. From what the spirits tell me, it is located in the jungles of the Amazon Rainforests." he said, as the trio's eyes lit up in surprise and shock. "The Amazon?!" blurted out Josh, his jaw almost hitting the floor. "Are you serious?!" said Miranda, her composure completely shattered. "That's awesome!" finished Nate, his face lightening up brighter than the sun.

The other three and Talonwing all gave a stern look toward the excited Red Ranger, as he quickly recomposed himself. "Sorry." he said, before clearing his throat once more. "The spirits have also warned that Arcadyx's forces are already beginning their search for the Cube, and a monster has also captured a team that was on a research expedition." said Talonwing, ignoring Nate's quip. "Though you have proven yourselves in battle, an extra measure will be required for future combat. That is why I have now deemed you worthy to wield these." he said, slowly waving his hand in front of the trio. In a flash of light, three weapons appeared in front of the Rangers. They were shaped in the style of pistols, with two block attachments on the top."These are your Cube Blazers, your new sidearms." said Talonwing, as the Rangers picked them out from the air. "Not only useful in long range combat, they can also be used in close range encounters."

As Talonwing said this, Nate pulled off the blue block and slotted it into the red block, and as soon as it was attached, a blade quickly swung out from the block. "Wow!" said Nate, with a doofy grin on his face. "Rescue the researchers if possible, and retrieve the Spirit Cube from Arcadyx's forces." said Talonwing, as the Rangers unsummoned their Blazers and activated their Cubes. "We won't let you down." responded Nate, as the trio punched in the transport code, and with that the Rangers teleported away to their next adventure. Back over in the wilds of the Amazon, three bright flashes of Red, Blue and Yellow shone out and our Rangers arrived at their destination, the teleporting scaring off a few birds. Miranda took a few steps forward, taking in the breathtaking surroundings. "Wow, this is... this is incredible!" she said, almost out of breath, staring at the lush trees and plants across the ground.

"No kidding."responded Nate, pulling out his phone and taking as many pictures as he could, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I can just imagine what kind of cryptids we could find out here, eh Josh?" he said, as Josh just rolled his eyes. "Cryptids?" asked Miranda, walking up to Nate. "Oh, me and Josh did a web show called Cryptoseekers. We investigated reports of mysterious creatures. You know, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, or the Chupacabra; monsters that defy expectations." responded Nate, putting away his phone. Josh gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, the last thing we investigated, the Wolf Pack of Lorenwood County? It was an honest to goodness Furry convention!" he said, as Miranda had a good chuckle, "Okay, I will admit that one was a mistake on my part, but hey the episode got good views.`` responded Nate with a stern, yet smug expression.

"You know, perhaps not everything is as mysterious as you think." said Miranda, folding her arms. "Maybe, or perhaps everything has a mystery to it." responded Nate, turning to her. "Okay, enough chit-chat, we got a Cube to collect." he said, pulling out his Cube to track the signal while the other two gave a quick nod and followed behind him. Meanwhile, back in the reaches of the atmosphere, Arcadyx continued watching the trio trot through the wilds of the Amazon through the holo-screen in front of him, a devilish grin having grown across his face, "My, are these little pukes in for a surprise, aren't they?", he chuckled, letting one of his many Megadallions roll across his black, armored knuckles. As he stared at the Rangers on their quest, sitting out of sight by the left door was Cuborax, watching intently. "It's only a matter of time." he thought to himself, as he withdrew himself from the doorway, pushing past a Tentycon.

The Rangers continued their journey, at least half an hour's worth of walk it had taken so far, and before long they had reached the now abandoned camp from earlier, coming in from the east, and as they approached they noticed a small battalion of Tentycons rummaging through the crates. They crouched down behind one of the boxes they hadn't already scavenged, with them slowly peeking out to see two of the foot soldiers standing in front of a now unconscious Owen hung upside down and covered by vines. Josh caught a glimpse of the helpless researcher dangling, as a third Tentycon from occasionally poked and prodded at him. He gently tapped his compatriots' shoulders and pointed at the scene unfolding. "There's someone still here!" he whispered, as the other two took notice. "He might know something." responded Miranda, as Nate gave a silent nod in response.

"Alrighty, if we do this quietly we shouldn't have much trouble." he said, as the trio dispersed in three different directions. Miranda snuck behind two Tentycons that were rummaging through some equipment boxes, blissfully unaware of what was going to happen to them. She quietly stood up straight, her arms stretched outward to the sides and her hands just inches from their tendriled heads. Suddenly, she slammed the two goons' heads together, and they quickly dropped to the dirt with a headache they'll probably be feeling for a little while. The Tentycons guarding the main tent both heard a disturbance and decided to investigate, and they would've found out some of their compatriots had been taken out, were it not for Josh quickly pulling them aside and making sure they wouldn't be bothering anybody anymore. As for the last, Nate snuck behind it as quietly as he could; he had experience being stealthy from hunting wild cryptids of course.

Crouching mere inches behind the dust-born goon, Nate raised his arm high above his and its head before bringing it down like a hammer in a heavy chopping motion right on the Tentycon's skull. A moment passed before the foot soldier fell to the floor, with a hard thud. Nate gently patted the Tentycon's head, "Good night, sweet prince!" he said sarcastically along with a smug smile. Nate dragged the fallen monster away to a pile of its now dusted compatriots that Josh and Miranda had previously dealt with, and it was a pretty big pile; if Nate had to guess, he'd say about six or seven Tentycons were in it. "Well, that should do it." said Josh, dusting off his hands with a smile. "Nice job, guys." said Nate, tossing the unconscious Tentycon into the Tentycene pile. "Now let's find out what these dustbins were lookin' for." he said as the others quietly nodded. The trio headed to the main tent, where Owen was still hanging.

"Okay, I'm gonna cut this guy down, get ready to catch him." he said, readying his weapon as the others grabbed hold of Owen. With a quick and graceful slice, the vines split apart and the others lowered Owen down to the ground. Owen slowly stirred back into consciousness, rubbing his face to try and wake himself up. "Are you alright?" asked Miranda, concern growing over her face. "Yeah... I think I'll be fine..." responded Owen, shaking his head and also retrieving his glasses. Adjusting them, his expression changed from pain to confusion. "...What are you kids doing out here?" he asked, sitting up. The three all looked at each other, just as confused as Owen was. "...Uh..." blurted out Josh. "...We were out on a field trip... with university and, erm, we just happened by here..." he said, as convincingly as he could manage. Owen simply sat there, an unimpressed expression across his face, which was shared with his Ranger comrades.

Miranda's arms were folded with an eyebrow raised. "Seriously?" whispered Nate, sternly. Owen slowly picked himself off the ground. "Well, whatever reason you three are there, I'm glad you came when you did. First my crewmates disappear, then some monsters show up and knock out like a light..." he said, putting a hand to his chin. "It could be connected to the Throne..." he pondered, as Nate raised an eyebrow. "Throne?" he asked. Owen diverted his gaze to the trio. "My team was looking for a temple that was supposedly hidden in the Amazons known as The Tusked Throne... From what I could decipher, it was some kind of vault by a race of beings that existed millions of years ago, housing artifacts and relics and whatnot." he said, pacing back and forth and also pulling out a notebook from his pocket. "One such relic, was this..." he said, showing a sketch of a very familiar looking design.

In fact, it seemed to be a Spirit Cube made of stone. "This one in particular keeps appearing in a lot of translations." Owen pointed out, as the three Rangers leaned in closer. "I've seen around five references to this relic, my guess is that it's extremely important." he finished, closing the notebook and putting back in his pocket. "I'd say important is a bit of an understatement." quipped Josh, as Owen raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean?" he asked. Nate quietly sighed. "Because the truth is, we're not students, and we know what that is." he said, summoning his Spirit Cube. Owen's expression lit up like a Christmas tree, as he carefully took the Cube from Nate's hand. "...Incredible..." he quietly said to himself, his breathing starting to get heavy. "Is this from The Tusked Throne?" he asked, eyes widened. "Not exactly." answered Miranda, as she and Josh summoned their Cubes as well.

Owen's expression lit up even more. "These are called Spirit Cubes, they're powered by Animal Spirits and they are VERY powerful. So much so that some guy named Arcadyx is looking for them, sending down monsters to try and retrieve them. Our job is to make sure that doesn't happen." said Nate, retrieving his Cube from Owen, who was flabbergasted at his explanation. "How... how do you know all this?" asked Owen, stammering. "Because we've fought Arcadyx's forces before, we're what you'd call Power Rangers." said Josh, unsummoning his Cube. "You're Power Rangers?" asked Owen, confused. "You mean, the same group that fought the Armada six years ago?" he inquired, folding his arms. Nate looked at his comrades. "Well, yeah you could say that, but it was other Ranger teams that fought them... we're uh, we're kind of the new kids on the block, as it were." he said. Miranda just shook her head.

"We're getting off track, guys. What do you remember of the camp attack?" she asked. Owen scratched his forehead. "I was in my tent studying when I noticed everything had gone quiet, I stepped outside, saw nobody was here, that was when I was attacked by some plant monster that strung me up in vines, it disappeared and then a bunch of those tentacle monsters appeared and knocked me out cold, and the next thing I know I'm talking with you three." he carefully explained. "Plant monster?" asked Josh. putting his hands to his hips. "I'm gonna hazard a guess and say that's the next big baddie Arcadyx sent down." responded Nate, folding his arms. "That thing must've also captured the other researchers!" said Miranda. Nate's arms fell to his sides. "Any ideas where that plant monster went?" he asked, though Owen just shook his head. "I'm guessing it's heading for the Tusked Throne, it's where we were supposed to go." he said.

"Well, if there's a Cube in the temple, I say we keep following our signal." responded Nate, pulling out his own Cube, as the high pitch pings emanated from it, and the trio resumed their search along with Owen. "So... who are you three?" asked Owen. "My name's Miranda." she replied, smiling. "The guy in front is Nate, and he's Josh." pointing at the other two. "What's your name?" she asked. "My name's Owen. Owen Holland." he replied, adjusting his glasses. Pushing past what felt like an endless ocean of leaves and trees for hours, the quartet arrived at a large clearing that surprisingly had nothing of note in it. The team could see a dozen Tentycons surrounding the now vine bound researchers as Vithornia examined the surroundings, standing as still as a tree. "Yes... It's here..." she proclaimed. Owen quitely pointed her out. "That's the plant monster I was talking about earlier." he said.

Vithornia slowly raised her arms into the air, and the area began to shake and rumble as if there was an earthquake. Suddenly, the earth below began to split apart as colossal vines the size of a small house erupted upward, and right in between them was a massive stone entrance sprouted upward like a tree. Vithornia slowly let her arms down, while the rumbling continued for a good minute before stopping, as the now fully revealed entrance stood proudly in front of the plant monster. It was made of dozens of stone blocks, shaped in the style of a pyramid. Within each of the stone blocks were veins of energy similar to that found in the Zord cockpits or the Sanctuary. "Tentycons, do watch over our guests; I will return with a reward for our dear Arcadyx." she cackled, as the three Rangers watched in silence. "Alright, you ready to do some gardening?" asked Nate, as the other two Rangers nodded.

He turned to Owen. "We'll take care of these creeps, you get the researchers out of here. Sound good?" he whispered, as Owen quietly nodded. "Alright, let's do it!" proclaimed Nate as he, Josh and Miranda all leapt down from the embankment with a shout, landing three-point style. All of the Tentycons readied their shield-like swords at the Rangers, while Vithornia turned to them. "Well well well, the three little Ranger weeds have finally shown themselves. Oh, how I will adore removing you disgusting vermin from my garden." she shouted, arms held out to her side. The trio simply stood their ground. "The only weed that's getting whacked around here is you!" said Josh, pointing at the villain. "You guys ready?" asked Nate, summoning his Spirit Cube. "Ready!" proclaimed the two, also summoning their Cubes. "Spirits Within, Awaken!" they all exclaimed as they prepared to morph.

Twisting the top section of the Cube, they quickly thrust the device forward in a punching motion, letting the bottom section flip down and revealing a bright white light inside. Streams of spiritual flame spewed outward, consisting of Red, Blue and Yellow colors for the respective Ranger, and quickly enveloped the Rangers with their suits. An image of the chest symbol radiated forth in front of their faces, shifting into the respective helmets. With that, the morph sequence was complete and the Rangers charged into battle. A look of shock exploded over Owen's face. "They are Power Rangers..." he thought to himself, as Nate quickly summoned his Whipblade, gracefully flipping over two Tentycons while the sword sliced through them like a hot knife through butter. Miranda made several front aerial flips past three more, managing to land a punch to one unlucky enough to be in her way, before landing with a leg sweep.

The two foot soldiers both fell to the dirt with heavy thuds. "How about we give those Blazers a try?" she said, giving the boot to another unlucky Tentycon. Josh landed an uppercut at a charging foe, seconds before giving a roundhouse kick to another. "Sounds good to me!" he called out, as he swung out his arm and in his hand came his Cube Blazer in Blade Mode. He swung around counterclockwise with the savagery and speed of a lion, the blade slicing through the surrounding Tentycons with ease. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" he said, slashing his way through two more. Nate carved his way through three more, spinning like a cartwheel with his Whipblade out, the elongated blade whirling around him in a tornado like fashion. "You're on the chopping block!" he taunted, as he summoned his Blazer as well. Five more Tentycons readied their weapons, the blades extending into a spear-like combination.

They each held out their weapons as though they were rifles, and as if on cue, they started firing lasers. With lightning fast reflexes, Nate quickly leapt into the air, swapping out the Blade Block for the Blaster, and gracefully dodged the laser blasts while also taking out the five Tentycons in mid air. "Bullseye!" he quipped as he landed, watching the monsters fall to the ground in and right into dust. "Nate, pass me your blaster! I got an idea!" Miranda called out from behind, performing a clockwise roundhouse kick to several more unlucky Tentycons. Nate quickly nodded and tossed her his side arm, just as she pulled off a massive butterfly kick to two more foot soldiers, catching the Blazer right out of the air. "Spirit Surge!" she called out, her Shark fin emerging on her back. She quickly went into her Shark Spin, and as she spun like a top once more, she also released a hailstorm of shots from the dual Blazers.

Both Nate and Josh ducked for cover as the lasers shot out from every single direction, with the former racing over to the researchers, trying to shield them with his body. The laser and lightshow continued for a good five seconds, striking down most, if not all, of the remaining Tentycons in one fell swoop. She landed with a spinning slide, as the Tentycons all collapsed into dust, while Nate and Josh quickly joined her, confronting Vithornia. "Time to turn you into mulch!" proclaimed Nate, as he swung his Whipblade at the monster, only for her quickly summon a wall of vines, with the sword simply bouncing off the flora. "You will regret daring to take on the beautiful, yet deadly Vithornia!" she proclaimed, as she bolted down into the temple, the vines beginning to surround the entrance. Owen hastily jumped down the embankment, and started to free his colleagues.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "We're bound, but we're alive." responded one, Tanner. "Can't believe Owen managed to find some Power Rangers to help us!" responded Shay, another researcher. "Yeah, well. Long story..." responded Owen, finally managing to pull apart the vines. The Rangers also came by to check on them. "How are they?" asked Josh. "They're okay, thankfully." responded Owen, wiping his hands. "We need to get past those vines." said Nate, readying his weapon. "Josh, want to sharpen your claws?" he asked, as the Yellow Ranger nodded, summoning his Lion Slashers and the two charged forth, beginning and slash and tear at the vine wall. "Talonwing, the researchers are okay, and we're on our way to the Cube." said Miranda, speaking through her Cube. As she finished speaking, the sound of crumbling vines and flora boomed out, as Nate and Josh finally finished cutting their way through.

Nate quickly turned to Miranda. "C'mon, let's go!" he called out, racing off into the temple. "We'll be back as soon as we can!" said Miranda to Owen, as he quietly nodded and she raced off to join her comrades. Soon, the researchers were alone. "She sounds cute." said Shay, smugly. Inside the temple, the three Rangers sprinted down the steps and through the main hall at full force. The insides were made of ancient, browned stone with familiar energy veins faintly glowing throughout the structure, also damaged significantly with rubble littering the ground, whether it was caused by Vithornia or not was unknown, but there was no time to admire the scenery; the three Rangers had an artifact to recover. Ancient stone torches, holding spiritual flames illuminated the hallways, tinted in beautiful orange and blues, flickering brightly as though they had never gone out.

Meanwhile, in the innermost chamber, sitting on a single pedestal right in the center of the room lay the prize Vithornia had sought; the Spirit Cube. She slowly walked down the five steps leading into the center, a single hand extended outward. "Yes... you are exactly what Arcadyx wants..." she said to herself with a devilish grin, as a vine slowly grew from her arm, reaching for the Cube. Just as the vine was about to curl it's way around the artifact, like a python about to squeeze its prey, the tip of a familiar blade managed to slice the vine right off of her arm. As Vithornia recoiled in pain, she turned to the entrance and there stood the three Rangers, with the Whipblade retracting to its owner. "Didn't your momma ever tell you to say please?" quipped Nate, as he rested the blade on his shoulder. Vithornia growled as she summoned another monster-vine to crush these pests, however the three managed to roll out of the way.

Josh backflipped his way toward the monster, his Lion Slashers still out and letting out sparks of lightning as he prepared to slash at Vithornia, giving out a battle cry not unlike a lion. Just as he was about to strike down his foe, a second vine broke its way up from the stone and tackled him, sending him into a spin before he crash landed on the stone floor, and before he could react it quickly slammed into him, pinning him on the ground. Outside at the entrance, the researchers could hear and feel the rumbles and shaking above. Owen turned to the entrance, he was getting worried; those three may be Power Rangers, but they might be in grave danger. He quickly turned back to his colleagues. "Stay here, I'll be back!" he said, before bolting off into the temple. "Wait, Owen! It's too dangerous!" cried out Shay, to no avail. Back in The Tusked Throne, as the battle below continued, the Rangers continued their struggle.

Nate suddenly took notice of his friend in peril. "Josh!" he cried out, as he leapt up with his Eagle Boost activated, trying to get to his friend, a second vine rose up from underground, wrapping itself around his right leg, and violently thrashing him against the ground for a good six seconds before hurling him against the wall like a piece of garbage, slamming against the ancient stone with enough force to make cracks in it. Miranda quickly bum rushed Vithornia, activating her Shark Spin once more. The villain raised her hand once more, as a third vine sprung outward and batted the Blue Ranger away, and as Nate managed to pry himself from the wall he was soon smashed aside by the out of control Miranda. The two grunted in pain, falling to the ground as the vine laid itself on top of them, making sure they couldn't escape.

Vithornia gave a satisfied laugh, watching the Rangers vainly try to free themselves. "How adorably pointless of you..." she said, walking towards the Blue Ranger. "Struggle all you wish...", standing over the helpless Ranger, "...because all it will do is make your demise all the more SATISFYING!" she said, while stomping on Miranda's helmet, as Nate tried wiggling himself free to help his partner. "...what's the matter, roseface? Can't fight us on your own?" he grunted. "Quiet!" cried out Vithornia in disgust, as she booted the Red Ranger straight in the face. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the villain, Owen quietly arrived at the main chamber's entrance. He observed the carnage that had ensued, seeing the Rangers defeated and the villain revelling in her apparent victory. He carefully adjusted his glasses and turned his attention to the Cube sitting on the pedestal.

As quietly as he could humanly manage, he tried sneaking his way toward the Cube; he was well aware of the danger he was in, but he also knew that the Cube falling into the wrong hands could spell disaster on an unprecedented level. "To think your suffering could have been avoided if you had simply complied with Arcadyx... he would have given you a place in the universe, aside from this disgusting backwater wasteland you call Earth..." monologued Vithornia, as Owen's hand was mere inches away from the Cube. "...a heap of nothing filled to the brim with VERMIN!" another vine burst out from behind Owen, grabbing his right leg and raising him up, just as he was before he met the Rangers. The villain turned to him. "Well, if it isn't the little weed from before...", stepping towards him, "How I have missed thee..." she spoke, sarcastically, rubbing her fingers across his cheeks.

All Owen could do was wince as her razor sharp nails ran across his face. "This however, poses a new question..." she said, turning to the Red and Blue Rangers, "which of these four little parasites should I destroy first?" she pondered; they were all at her mercy, or lack thereof, she could do whatever she pleased with them. Owen glanced upward at his bound legs, as he was just out of arm's reach of the Cube, he noticed his right pant leg had been torn, and that gave him an idea; what Vithornia didn't realize was that Owen's right leg was actually a prosthetic, thanks to an accident from a few years ago, and it could be removed at will. He hastily reached up, trying to reach the pin that held his leg in place; there was just enough of a gap in the vines for him to hit the pin, as he suddenly fell to the ground with a heavy thud; Vithornia quickly turned around. "What?!" she cried out, as Owen hastily rolled out of the way of the villain.

At a speed Owen didn't even know he could achieve, his hands scrambled their way up the pedestal and greedily grabbed the Cube, before he rolled down the steps leading up to the center of the room. Owen landed on his back, staring at his newly acquired artifact. "No!" growled Vithornia, but Owen wasn't having any of that, as the Cube quickly lost it's stone exterior. "Return the Cube, you VERMIN!" screamed the monster, as she shot out several vines from her hands. Just as fast as he grabbed the Cube, he quickly spun the top section of the Cube to match the front symbols with it suddenly opening up, and before the vines could reach him, out came yet another Cube animal, deflecting the incoming tendrils; this one being an Elephant, and it too dived right into Owen's body with a bright flash, granting him his Ranger form. He quickly staggered up to his feet, examining his new form.

"...Impossible..." he thought to himself, also noticing his form granted him a new leg. "Yet another Ranger parasite to return to the dirt!" wailed Vithornia, as more vines arose from below. Owen sprinted full force at her, jumping into a dropkick position, and as he did so, two massive elephant feet appeared. The resulting kick was enough to send Vithornia flying into the back wall, and as she grunted in pain, the vines keeping the Rangers pinned retracted down into the earth once more. The three Rangers struggled back up on their feet. "Are you alright?" asked Owen. "Yeah, just peachy." responded Josh, as the four Rangers readied themselves for a fight. Vithornia also picked herself up from the ground. "You will SUFFER FOR THIS." she ferociously growled. "Any ideas on how to stop her?" asked Miranda, in a fighting stance. "Just one." responded Owen, taking a step forward.

He really didn't want to do this, but in this case, he had no choice. "I'm going to bring down the Temple." he said, reluctantly. He raised his leg up, as high as he could possibly manage. With a roar, he slammed his elephant foot down as hard as he could, and a colossal shockwave alongside green spiritual flame radiated outward, as the temple began to shake and crumble. Massive chunks of debris came crashing down from the ceiling. Vithornia screamed as rubble fell on top of her, seemingly burying her. "Unless y'all are keen on getting squished, I'd say we should book it out of here!" yelled Nate, as the four Rangers quickly hightailed it back out the entrance. Outside of the temple, the researchers could only try to keep on their feet as the landscape shifted and rumbled even harder than before. The shaking kept on for a good three minutes before everything went silent.

The temple entrance was nothing but rubble and destruction. All the researchers could do was stare at the destroyed entrance, fearing the Rangers and their friend Owen were lost. But, as they were about to mourn the loss of their friend and saviors, some of the rubble at the entrance started moving... and bursting out with a roar came the four Rangers! The quartet had managed to dig him and his partners' way out of the debris with Nate's Whipblade, Josh's Lion Slashers, and the Cube Blazers' Blade Mode, and in spectacular fashion, they all landed in front of the surprised group. "Owen?!" blurted out Shay, running over to the new Green Ranger. "You're a Power Ranger too?!" he said, shocked. "Well, I guess I am now..." responded Owen, shrugging. Nate bent over, now completely out of breath. "Okay, is anybody as sick of temples as I am?" he jokingly asked, as the others had a small chuckle.

But just before the thought of relaxing crossed his mind, an explosion of debris shot out from what was left of the temple entrance, and out came Vithornia, surviving her burial. "Did you miss me?" she quipped, her arms held out to her sides, as the Rangers all turned to her, readying themselves once more. "I say it's about time we finish this!" said Nate, as the others nodded in unison. The four heroes charged at the monster, as she summoned more vines from her hands. Josh rushed ahead of the group, ferociously slashing at the vines, making Vithornia recoil in pain as the tendrils dropped to the ground. Miranda summoned her Blazer, and fired a volley of shots straight at the villain's face and chest. Nate swung his Whipblade, with the stretched out jagged blade wrapping itself around Vithornia and in an impressive fashion, he swung the villain above his head in a hammer throw like fashion and launched her hundreds of feet in the air.

Owen launched himself in the sky, with his Elephant Crushers activated. With both feet pressed against her, he brought him and the villain back down to Earth with a battle cry, culminating in a massive explosion of fire and green spiritual energy. Owen leapt out from the fire ball, no worse for wear than before. He turned around to see what he had destroyed, and noticed there was nothing but ash and dirt behind him; Vithornia had been utterly vanquished and obliterated. "That takes care of that." he calmly said while turning back to the others, all while dusting off his hands. "Well, remind me never to skip leg day, huh?" joked Nate, putting his hands to his hips with a chuckle. The Rangers quickly teleported themselves and the researchers back to their organization's headquarters, situated around the San Angeles area. The organization, though disappointed at the loss of The Tusked Throne, was glad to have the researchers safe and sound.

The head of the organization, known as International Archaeological Searcher's Foundation, also agreed to keep Owen's identity a secret, due to him being "familiar with Ranger operations", though what he meant was never elaborated on. With the researchers safe, the Rangers teleported back to the entrance of the Sanctuary. "I think you're gonna like our little base, Owen." said Nate, confident, as he stuck his Cube in the slot right next to the stone door. As the rock had slid upward, a look of unbridled shock and awe washed across Owen's slightly wrinkled face. He slowly stepped forward, looking around the ancient refuge with his jaw almost being dragged across the ground. "...This is... this is incredible..." he stuttered to get out, watching ancient energy flow through the veins of the Sanctuary walls. "A few months ago, I was looking at nothing but runes on a piece of a pot, and now... this..." he softly spoke.

"...Actual, working Precursor technology; it doesn't look a day past its creation..." said Owen, taking in the sights. Josh raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Wait a second, this whole place is by the Precursors?" he asked, folding his arms. "Oh yes, this matches all of my reports and findings to a tee; the square based architecture, the runes across the walls, and the flowing energy... It's all right on the money." responded Owen. "Your knowledge of the past has served you well, Owen." said a voice from behind him, it was Talonwing, silently watching him take in the surroundings. Owen's face lit up in shock once more; he could feel his heart beating like a drum in excitement. "...I-Impossible...", struggling to get the words out of his mouth, "...Y-You're... you're a Precursor..." he said, as the other three Ranger's expressions changed to surprise. "Oh yeah, that's Talonwing, he's our boss of sorts." responded Josh.

The bird man remained stoic as Owen approached him. "An actual, living, breathing Precursor..." said the man, almost about to lose his mind in excitement. "Man, he's like a kid in a candy shop!" said Nate, with a big grin across his face. "I've spent so many years studying your people, your civilization, your way of life... I could never find anything, except for The Tusked Throne... but we..." spoke Owen, before Talonwing raised a feathered hand. "I had seen what happened to The Throne, and your battle with Vithornia... you have all survived and retrieved the fourth Spirit Cube." he spoke. "...but... all the knowledge or artifacts that could've been down there, aren't you concerned about what was lost?" asked Owen. Talonwing softly closed his eyes, pondering. The whole Sanctuary went deafeningly silent for a minute before he opened his eyes again.

His sharp gaze returned to Owen. "Some memories, and the places we remember, are best left forgotten." he spoke to him, and the other three Rangers. "The Throne's loss was more than necessary." speaking to the group, as Nate grew curious. "Why? What was in there?" asked the Red Ranger, as Talonwing's eyes moved toward him. "Whether you trust me when I say this or not, know that its burial is for the best..." he spoke, as the others simply looked at each other in confusion.


	4. Episode 4: Lower The White Flag

Over the many centuries he had been plundering the universe, Arcadyx had managed to build up quite a collection of creatures, treasures and desirables in the Ethospear's holding area. Whether it was a set of priceless Aquitian Mistgems, the last surviving Kaienian Prime Emberhowler or even the entire population of some unnamed world in the Enzigatto System; if it had a price to be made on the interstellar black markets, how could Arcadyx resist the chance to make some sweet XenoCreds? Just above the holding area, he was leaned against the guard rail, observing the population go about their days, as the Tentycons scurried around to unload any other treasures and collectables their master had acquired over the years. "So many beautiful monstrosities to unleash on those rainbow colored vermin, and so little time..." he said, with a quiet sigh, as his ever faithful secretary Khamelia wrapped her jet black arms around him.

"In a weird way, I miss the ones those pitiful little Rangers destroyed... don't you, darling?" she softly spoke, as Arcadyx gave a small chuckle. "I do, but as you know, when it comes to business, you gotta let some things go..." he said, as he turned around to her "But I once I get those Spirit Cubes, and the power they hold...", he put his hands around her waist "I can have whatever, and whoever... I want." he said with an almost seductive chuckle. Just then, he had heard a bit of commotion going on in Cell Sector 23. To his non-surprise, it was between Ironhorn and Veinemous again; the two had been at each other's throats more times than he could count. Ironhorn gave Veinemous a heavy blow to the skull, sending him right into the cell wall, as the Tentycons frantically scrambled to try and stop the fighting, but the foot soldiers were no match for the two monsters, while the rest of their cell mates cheered the two to keep fighting.

Ironhorn was clad in silver and cool blue, with fin like growths over his body, a massive armored shoulder on his right, and a blade-like appendage on his left arm. Meanwhile, Veinemous, true to his name, was covered in a bright red, veiny material with a purple-ish, blue underbody, a large , almost coral-like growth covering his right arm and protruding from his shoulder, while his left arm had metallic armor across it with large tubes coming out of them. "If you insult my mother like that again, I'mma tear off that fancy tube arm of yours, and shove it right down your nasty, greasy, slimy mouth!" roared Ironhorn, seething in anger. Veinemous simply chuckled, with a deadly hiss. "Hissss... You couldn't, hissss, beat me on your, hissss, best day..." he spat out, slime billowing out of his mouth. Ironhorn growled loud enough for any person to actually feel inside of them.

"Oh yeah? I'm ending this once and for all, you disgustin' slimeball!" he roared, charging forward, while Veinemous did the same. All of a sudden, four large balls and chains found themselves wrapped around their legs, stopping them dead in their tracks. Those belonged to Lockdown, the self-proclaimed warden of Cell Sector 23. He might've been captured from the prison world of Tekkan, but with the way he acted, you'd think he was a part of Arcadyx's crew. "Okay, knock it off you two Jellybrains!" he commanded with a growl, swinging around another one of his trademark Entrapment Chains. He was covered in black and white stripes from head to toe, with two massive crystalline, siren light like growths on his shoulders; the left was red while the right was a blackish-blue. " Stay out of this, Lockdown! You ain't the boss of us!" snarled Ironhorn, trying to free himself from the Entrapment Chain.

Lockdown slowly walked toward him, as the crowd's cheers very quickly died down, his expression unchanging, and each of his six blue and yellow eyes staring him down. "Oh, is that so Ironhorn? Who's the one that's got 'ya all chained up, then?" he spoke, just before ramming his golden, gauntleted fist straight into Ironhorn's gut. "That's right, I do!" growled Lockdown, as Ironhorn writhed around on the floor, clutching his gut in pain. Veinemous, on the other hand, remained perfectly still, almost content with what had happened to him. "And yet, hissss, here you are, imprisoned on this accursed ship, with the rest of these, hissss, disgusting lowlifes..." he scowled, just as he fired his tube arm right at Lockdown who, with lightning fast reflexes, caught the tubes right out of the air. "Oh, 'ya think so, do 'ya Veinemous?" he snarled, turning to the helpless monster.

Not a second passed before he swung Veinemous around like a hammer, before launching him straight into the cell wall with a heavy thud and splat. His attention quickly turned to the rest of the prisoners. "Let's get one thing clear around here, alright? I'm not the one trapped here, oh no; you bunch 'o losers, are trapped here, with ME! SO WHAT I SAYS, GOES AROUND HERE. GOT IT?!" he roared out, as every single being in the cell remained completely silent. Even the Tentycons were starting to quake in fear. "Yeah, that's I thought!" he finished. Just then, the sound of a throat being cleared echoed out. Lockdown turned around to see it was none other than Arcadyx and his dear Khamelia by his side, his arms crossed and staring daggers into him. "Yeah, 'whaddaya want? Make it quick!" he spoke, with a distinctly disrespectful tone. Arcadyx simply chuckled, before cracking his knuckles.

He soon stepped closer toward the shield between him and Lockdown. "You forget whose ship you're on, mate?" he grimly spoke. Lockdown, however, wouldn't have any of it. "Listen 'ere, pal. I don't care who this floating pile 'o tin belongs to, whether it's old Master Vile, Emperor Mavro, or even Dark Specter, and especially not you, lookin' like you just crawled out a giant bottle 'o Erkeegian Hot Sauce! Not a soul in this universe or any other, can keep Lockdown, DOWN! WE CLEAR?!" he roared out, never willing to be bossed around. Arcadyx, however, simply smiled and gave a small chuckle. "Whaddaya laughin' about now, huh?" he spout out to his captor. Arcadyx, however, was unfazed. "'cause I like your spunk... I got a little offer for 'ya." he said, with a smile. Meanwhile, back down on Earth, a small blue and white bus pulled in by the stop in Adderley Avenue.

Slowly stepping out of the bus was one Dawn Riley. She wore a bright white sweater, on her back was a small blue backpack, carrying her laptop and art supplies, and her light brown hair was kept in a neat pixie bob style. She was coming home from college for the summer to visit her parents, residing in Spring Shallows, with her mother and father's home sitting right by the water, along with several other houses. "Have a good day, ma'am!" said the bus driver, waving to her with a bright, happy smile. Dawn quietly turned around. "O-oh, thank you very much." she replied with a quiet wave, as the bus closed its door and drove away. She was an extremely timid and quiet person, always keeping to herself during college, and trying not to bother anybody. However, she did try to branch out to people, in her own way, by trying her hand at literature.

She decided her first story would be a simple adventure story involving treasure hunting with a romantic subplot thrown in. She had gotten as far as finishing the first chapter when she had run into a bit of writer's block, and she hoped that her creative juices would get going again during the Summer. She walked up to her parents' home and right up to its plain browny-red door, and gave a firm three knocks. Normally, her parents would almost immediately answer the door, but in this case... nothing happened. "Mom? Dad? Are you there?" she called out, slightly confused. She tried knocking again, this time slightly harder, but again, no answer. Perhaps they were out for the moment, maybe to the grocery store or somewhere like that. She set her backpack down, and sat quietly on the porch, waiting to see if her folks might return. Dawn waited for several minutes, but still no-one came to greet her.

Starting to grow worried, she pulled her phone out of her right pocket and dialed in her mom's phone number; she would almost always call back on her phone, unless of course it was an emergency. This time, however, no-one answered. "What's going on?!" she cried out, now beginning to panic. She got up from the porch and took a look around the Avenue, trying to see if she could find some help. As she wandered about the Avenue, she soon realized that everybody had vanished; not a single man, woman or child was around, for some bizarre reason."W-where is everyone?" she asked herself, growing more and more worried by the second. However, as she continued searching for her parents, or just anybody in general, a small meow came from behind her. She quickly turned around, and found a small grey cat, looking just as lost as she was. "Hey there, little guy... where's your owners?" she said, as she kneeled down to gently pet it.

The cat gave a gentle meow, as it rubbed against her legs, purring happily for a moment as it soon walked away from her. It soon sat down and gave her a stare, as though it wanted Dawn to follow it. "What is it?" she asked, as she stood back up and soon followed the cat, with it quickly taking the lead. It soon stopped by a wall, as though it did so as a warning. She carefully walked over and saw what made the cat stop in the first place. It was the sight of at least twelve civilians captured by Lockdown and a large squadron of Tentycons. Every single one of them had Entrapment Chains around their ankles, making sure they stayed in place. Not that they would attempt to leave, given the expression of fear across their faces. "That's right, stay in a circle, 'ya worthless bags of meat! Now one of 'yas is gonna tell me where that last Spirit Cube is, or throwin' all of 'ya in the 'slamma!" commanded Lockdown, pacing back and forth.

Dawn carefully scooped up the cat, but continued watching the proceedings. She carefully scanned the crowd, trying to see if she could find her parents in there, but the commotion made that extremely difficult. The captured civilians all looked back and forth at each other, having no idea what a Spirit Cube is or what this monster was talking about. "What's the matter? Y'all keepin' quiet for 'ya fellow man, is that it?! Well, if 'yer gums ain't gonna flap now, they will after this!" he growled, growing frustrated at the prisoners' lack of help. He gave a quick thumbs down, and all of a sudden, the civilians began sinking into the ground, with bright violet energy swallowing them up until they disappeared entirely. "Alright, let's go find us some more lawbreakas', then!" spoke Lockdown, confidently. Dawn's expression turned to pure horror, as she covered her mouth with her free right hand, trying not to scream or make a noise.

Realizing there was very little, if anything, she could do against Lockdown or the Tentycons, she carefully raced away, hoping not to get caught. Meanwhile, over at the Sanctuary, some interesting events were unfolding. Owen sat comfortably at his homegrown workshop he had set up, with the help of Talonwing, with two plasma conductors in his hands, and an industrial welding mask on his face, and sitting on the workshop table was one of the team's Cube Blazers. Energy beams fired out from the conductor's tips and onto the ancient metal Cube compartments of the Blazer, with bright blue sparks radiating outward on to the table and the ground. Thankfully, Owen was wearing specialized welding gear so he didn't end up getting burnt. Several seconds passed before Owen shut off the conductors and flipped up his mask, soon carefully lifting up the Blazers' components off of the table.

"Alright, that should do it. Give it a try, now." he said, soon handing the weapon over to Nate, who quickly set the weapon back into Blaster mode and aimed it at a crystalline training dummy; Owen had been doing modification work on the Blazers, and Nate volunteered to test out the weapon to make sure the upgrades had worked properly, as both Josh and Miranda were out in town doing a few errands. Nate stood in silence for only a second, before he pressed in the trigger and a blast of orange shot out and completely shattered the training dummy, with lots of crystalline pieces flying everywhere as the dummy collapsed to the ground. "Woah, that's got a real bite to it now!" he said, with a big grin on his face, really feeling the kick on the Blazer. Owen quickly slipped off his welding gear, and proceeded to take the Blazer from Nate's hands, once he was finished.

"I've made some changes to the ventilation systems in the Blaster Cube, which should reduce the wasted energy output by roughly 23%, and is now funneled directly into the blast; in other words, the shots should be more powerful." explained Owen, with Nate putting his hands on his hips. "And more powerful shots means the baddies will be feeling a bit more sore in the morning!" replied the Red Ranger, with a bright smile. "Pretty much." responded Owen, with a nod. Suddenly, two bright blue and yellow flashes appeared behind the two; it was Miranda and Josh, back from their errand. "We've got some good news!" said Miranda, brightly. "Did Arcadyx decide Earth wasn't worth it and go back home?" asked Nate, jokingly, as Miranda gave a chuckle. "No, but we just got word the Conservation Center will be ready in two weeks!" she replied, happily; she was more than ready to begin getting back to work at the Center.

Nate's expression brightened up. "Oh, nice! 'Ya hear that Josh? That means we can finally start making some money around here. You know, just like any responsible adult would do these days!" he said, with a distinct lilt of sarcasm and humor in his voice, taking the Blazer back from Owen. Josh rolled his eyes. "Except for the fact that most adults don't have to worry about having to defend the universe from some crazy space pirate and his horde of monsters." he replied, as Nate scoffed. "Yeah, well, where's the fun in not being the exception to the rule, huh?" he replied, taking another shot at another training dummy. Miranda chuckled at the two's conversation, before turning her attention to the green ranger, who was putting away his equipment. "Y'know Owen, I can easily help get you some work at the Center too, if you're interested." she said to him.

Owen turned to her. "I appreciate the offer, Miranda, but I'll have to respectfully decline. I feel like I could be a lot more useful here enhancing our equipment for whatever Arcadyx has planned next." he said, dusting off his hands. "That, and he's having way too much fun deciphering the runes in the Sanctuary." interjected Nate, with a smile. Soon, the lift that held Talonwing descended, as the bird man stood up from his kneeling position. "I see the modification process of the Cube Blazers has progressed well." he said, stepping off the lift. "Yep, the venting issues have hopefully been fixed so the shots should have more impact." replied Owen, putting his hands on his hips. "Excellent. You will need every advantage in the coming battles ahead." said Talonwing, joining the Rangers in a group. "Exactly, and I say you can never have too much firepower against a space pirate and his horde of monsters." said Nate, confidently.

Suddenly, the fifth and final crystal totem gave a radiant glow, which meant only one thing: the Spirits had a message for Talonwing. "That's our cue!" said Nate, aloud and brightly, as the team gathered around the totems, while Talonwing knelt down to receive whatever message they had for him. Several minutes passed before he finally spoke. "Hmm... Interesting..." he said. All of the Rangers gathered around him, eager to find out what he had learned. The keeper finally stood up and turned to the Rangers. "The final Spirit Cube's location is still unknown to me." he spoke, as the Rangers all looked at each other with disbelief and confusion, before turning back to Talonwing. "However, I have learned that an alarming number of civilians have gone missing in Adderly Avenue, near the outskirts of Spring Shallows. There is no doubt in my mind that one of Arcadyx's monsters has taken them." he said, looking at each of the team.

Miranda's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "My grandmother used to live there. You think the last Cube could be there?" she said. Owen put his fingers under his chin, pondering to himself. "Probably. They could also be trying to lure us out into a trap." he had deduced, believing there was a connection between the location of the disappearances and where the Cube could be. "Well, I hate to say it, but it's a risk we're gonna have to take." replied Nate, putting his hands to his hips. Talonwing gave an approving nod. "Agreed. You must locate and destroy the monster that has taken the civilians, and keep your eyes open for the final Spirit Cube." he said to the team, as the Rangers quickly summoned their Cubes, punched in the transport code, and in a bright flash of colors, all teleported to Adderly Avenue. They all looked around, and saw the place was completely quiet; nobody was there to see them arrive.

Josh observed the area."Where is everybody? Were we too late?" he asked, getting concerned. "Possibly." replied Owen, with a very serious expression on his face. Nate gave a small nod, coming up with a plan. "Alright, I say we split up and take a look around. Josh, you're with Miranda. Owen, you're with me. Keep in contact at all times, if you spot anything strange, let us know." he ordered, as the Rangers nodded in agreement and set off. Roughly an hour passed as both Owen and Nate continued their search, with the two coming up with nothing. "Well, if there's one thing that monster is, it's efficient; there's nobody here." said Owen, looking around a few houses, trying to see if anybody was around, to no success. "Yeah, that seems to be the only thing we can give that thing... aside from the probably ugly as all heck looks." replied Nate, before summoning his Cube in call mode. "Josh, any luck on your end?" he asked.

"Nothing, this place is completely barren. No sign of that monster, either." responded Josh, still looking around with Miranda. "Gotcha, keep us posted, just in case." replied Nate, on the other side, as Josh quickly desummoned his Cube and continued looking around. Examining a corner, Miranda began to hear the distinct sound of footsteps at a rapid pace. She slowly stepped toward the corner, where the footsteps were coming from, and pretty much the instant she was about to turn the corner, she nearly ended up getting headbutted by Dawn, who let out an ear piercing scream, or as loud as he could muster with her lack of breath. "Woah, easy!" said Miranda, trying to calm Dawn down. "Are you okay?" she asked, checking up on the girl. Dawn was still trying to catch her breath. "Yeah... I'm... I'm fine." she said, panting heavily. Miranda turned away from her and summoned her Cube. "Guys, I found somebody, quick!" she said, commandingly.

She turned back to the girl. "What's your name?" she asked, looking straight into her eyes. Dawn was still very much out of breath, and shaking all over, as though she were in the arctic; she was evidently in shock. "D-Dawn... it's Dawn." she finally spoke, still clutching the cat from earlier. "Hey!" said a male voice from behind Miranda, she turned around and saw the other three Rangers rushing over to the two. Miranda turned back to Dawn. "It's okay, they're friends. That's Nate, Josh and Owen." she carefully explained, before turning back to the other three. "Guys, this is Dawn." she said, as the three gave a small wave to Dawn. Miranda turned back to her. "It's okay, we're here to help." she said, helping Dawn up to her feet. Josh stepped forward. "Listen, we know this all extremely sudden, but if you're able to tell us what happened around here, as best you can, we'd appreciate it." he said.

Dawn's breathing started getting heavier, and much more erratic. "I... I was coming home on the bus, and tried to knock on my house door and relax, but... but nobody answered... then I found this cat and it... it led me to..." but before she could finish, "A-HA! THERE 'YA ARE!" said a dark voice from behind them, as Dawn gave a yelp and turned around to see Lockdown and a band of Tentycons with him. "So this is where 'ya ran off to, and you found a few stowaways too!" snarled Lockdown, as Dawn scurried behind the Rangers. "That's it! That's the... the thing that took everybody!" squealed Dawn, panicking. "No arguments here." quipped Owen, as the Rangers all stood their ground. "Alright. Dawn, get as far away from here as you can, we'll catch up!" commanded Nate. Dawn gave a quick nod and ran off, the cat still in her arms. Nate turned his attention back to the monster.

"Now as for you, pal, you can either let those civilians go on your own, or we're gonna have to make you let 'em go." he ordered, putting a fist in his hand, ready to fight. Lockdown was taken aback by the threat. "Hey, nobody threatens Lockdown! Especially not some punk like you!" he scoffed at the Ranger. Nate simply cracked his neck and knuckles. "Alright, have it your way." he said, before turning to the others "Ready?" he turned to the others, as they all summoned their Spirit Cubes. "Ready!" they all proclaimed, fully ready for combat. "Spirits Within, Awaken!" they all shouted, and in a bright flash, had all morphed into their Ranger forms and soon charged into battle, as Lockdown and the Tentycons did the same. Dawn, still gripping the cat tightly, observed the battle between them from a safe distance. "Spirit Surge!" cried out Josh, quickly summoning his Lion Slashers and gracefully flipping over a charging Tentycon.

Just moments before his feet hit the ground again, his sharp right claw grabbed a hold of the hapless foot soldier. "Alley-oop!" he quipped as he rolled over the Tentycon, before he soon hurled it straight into the air, where it was soon grabbed by Nate's Whipblade. "Gotcha!" called out Nate, as he soon did a massive hammer throw with the helpless cronie, managing to smack around a good number of its allies in the process, swinging it around and around for almost five whole seconds before hurling it right at Lockdown. The monster almost gets knocked off his feet by the incoming Tentycon, which quickly crumpled on the ground in pain, before Lockdown swiftly booted it out of the way. Just as he did so, he soon got to see the sight of Miranda and Owen charging toward him, before landing two heavy dropkicks at him, managing to knock him right on his behind.

Lockdown struggled back up to his feet, as the Rangers stood over him, ready for more. "Y'all think this is over?! Y'all are wrong, I tell 'ya! WRONG!" he roared out, before suddenly disappearing into the ground. Josh jolted forward, stunned. "Where'd he go?!" he asked, panicked, as he almost tripped over himself trying to find Lockdown. "Hang on, I got an idea!" quickly said Miranda, as she suddenly powered up her Shark Spin and dove straight into the ground, chasing after Lockdown, leaving the guys to themselves. Owen summoned his Cube, and gave Talonwing a status report. "Talonwing, we found a single person at Adderley. We also found the monster but it's gotten away. No sign of the Cube, either." he said, as clearly as he could. Talonwing silently nodded in response. "Find somewhere safe for the civilian and track down where the monster has gone." he replied, calmly.

Owen sighed, quietly. "Understood." he finished, before willing away his Cube. Dawn soon slipped out from her hiding place, the cat still in her arms, as comfortably as it could be, given the commotion, with her being completely stunned at what had just happened; four strangers show up out of nowhere, take on a monster that's probably from outer space, and then turn out to be Power Rangers? As in the heroes that stopped the likes of Rita Repulsa, the Machine Empire, and Astronema? She must've been dreaming, she thought to herself, but alas, this was real. "Woah. You guys are... Power Rangers?" she asked, cautiously approaching the heroes, as they all turned to her. "Oh, uh, yeah... I guess we forgot to mention that." said Nate, awkwardly putting his right hand behind his head. Suddenly, Miranda spun out of the ground, spinning like a top before gracefully landing. "Any luck finding that monster?" asked Josh, concerned.

Miranda, unfortunately, just shrugged. "Nothing, he's a slippery one." she replied, sadly. Despair quickly washed over Dawn's face, as she simply crumpled down on to the ground, on the verge of tears. "My parents... they were caught by that thing... They could be..." she struggled to get out, as her voice cracked and crumbled. The Rangers all demorphed, and Miranda carefully knelt down to Dawn. "Listen, I know you might not know or trust us, but we're going to do whatever it takes to get your parents back; that's a Ranger's promise." she quietly said to the distraught Dawn, holding a hand out to help her up. Nate gave a silent nod. "That's right, he's not gonna lose us that easily, and we're not going to stop until we get your folks, and the other civilians back." responded Nate, crossing his arms. Josh turned to Dawn. "Is there anywhere you can go? Because this place isn't safe anymore." he asked.

Dawn carefully dusted herself off. "No... I had just come up from Reefside to visit my parents for the summer and... I don't have anybody else to turn to..." she replied, still evidently upset. The Rangers all looked at each other, bewildered, before they all huddled up to discuss what to do with her. "She's clearly in shock, we need to get her somewhere safe, away from the fighting." said Owen, whispering to the others. "Well, what about the Sanctuary? That's as safe a place as any, right?" suggested Josh. "Oh yeah, I'm sure that'll really go over well with Talonwing, bringing a friggin' stranger into our base, provided she doesn't have a heart attack from seeing an anthropomorphic bird. I mean, you saw her reaction to that monster!" scoffed Nate, sarcastically. Miranda quietly sighed in response. "Listen, we'll figure out where she'll go later. Right now, we need to figure out where the monster took the civilians." she replied.

Owen turned to Miranda. "Are you sure you didn't detect anything while searching underground? Anything at all?" he asked. Miranda's eyes scanned the ground, as the gears in her head visibly turned given her expression, trying to see if there was anything at all that could lead to Lockdown's location while she was searching. "I'm trying to think..." she said, thinking hard. "I didn't think it was important before, but there was a bit of a vibration coming from the east, if I had to guess." she finally said. Josh looked at the others. "Well, I say it's worth a look." he said, determined. The others nodded carefully. As this was going on, the cat inside Dawn's arms began to squirm and struggle around for a moment, giving a frustrated meow. She looked down at the cat. "Hey... what's wrong?" she asked it, as the Rangers continued their conversation to each other. The cat gave a loud meow before it had started to glow.

Dawn let out a yelp as she dropped the cat, with it landing on all fours. The Rangers all turned to see the cat glow even brighter for several moments before, in a bright flash of white light, transforming into the last Spirit Cube. "Uh..." said Dawn, completely dumbfounded and pretty much speechless. Nate looked down at the newly unveiled Cube. "Well, that's... surprisingly convenient." he quipped, as Dawn stood in front of them, with the Cube sitting on the ground. "W-what... what just happened?" she asked, trying to get the words out. The Rangers all looked at each other for a moment, before Miranda stepped forward. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe us..." she said to Dawn, before bending down to pick up the Cube, as it gently hummed with energy, and was slightly warm to the touch. "This right there is a Spirit Cube, it has the power of an animal spirit in it." she said, before summoning her own Cube.

"It's the last one of five. The monster that we fought belonged to an interstellar pirate named Arcadyx who wants the Cubes, and their power for his own means, and we're trying to stop that from happening." she finished, as the other three Rangers all nodded in response. Dawn was still confused as to what had happened, or what she was talking about, but this explanation was as good as she was going to get. "...Um... uh... okay..." she quietly said, taking the Cube from Miranda. "I know this is a lot to take in at once, but we're telling you the truth." she said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. Dawn quietly nodded back, as Miranda activated her Cube's call mode. "Talonwing, we have the final Spirit Cube, we're coming back to you, but we need to bring the civilian with us. She's not safe in town." she said. A moment passed before she had gotten an answer.

Talonwing was extremely hesitant to bring a random, unknowing civilian to the Sanctuary. However, if the Cube was willing to show itself to Dawn, she may be the last one they need. "Very well, bring the civilian to the Sanctuary. I await your return." he finally answered. Miranda disconnected, punched in the teleportation code in her Cube and soon held out her arm to Dawn. "Hold on tight. We have somewhere safe for you." she said. Dawn simply stared at Miranda's hand for a moment. Where was it that she was going to take them? Did she even trust this stranger? In any case, wherever she was going to bring her, it couldn't be much more dangerous than here, right? Despite her reservations and fears, she carefully took Miranda's hand and gave it a firm grip, and in a bright flash of colors, the group all teleported to the Sanctuary. Dawn carefully released her grip on Miranda's hand and began to take in the sights.

The ancient stone walls, the bright spiritual energy veins flowing through them, the crystal totems sitting in the center of the room on a pedestal, it was all far, far too much for her to take in. "...wow..." she gasped, as Nate gave a chuckle in response. "Yeah, that was our reaction too." he said, jokingly. Above them, the lift once more descended down from the perch, as Talonwing greeted the Rangers with his presence, to which Dawn almost stumbled back in fear, hiding behind the group. "It's okay, that's our boss Talonwing, he's one of the good guys." said Josh, reassuredly. Talonwing slowly stepped off of the lift, with his distinct aura of wisdom and age enveloping the Sanctuary. His old eyes quickly locked on to Dawn, as she was still evidently afraid of him, despite Josh's assurance. He carefully raised his right hand. "I assure you, I am no threat to Earth, or its inhabitants." he softly said.

Nate crossed his arms, and turned to Dawn. "Yeah, no need to worry. He's no bird-brain!" he chuckled, to no-one's amusement, aside from his own. Owen simply rolled his eyes. "On a more serious note, we do have the last Cube with us." he finished, as he and the other four Rangers showed their Cubes, with Dawn holding out hers as well. Josh looked at the others. "So, all that's left to do is to activate the last Cube, right?" he said, optimistically. Dawn gave a confused expression. "...A-activate it?" she asked, slightly worried. Miranda turned to her. "That's right. It's how we got our powers." she replied, as Talonwing stepped forward. "The Spirit Cubes choose who is worthy of their power. If you have been chosen to inherit its gift, you should be able to open the Cube and receive the power inside." he explained, carefully, as the Rangers all turned to Dawn. "...um... okay...?" she replied, cautiously. She carefully flipped the Cube around, and stared at it intently.

Her mind was racing and her heart was pounding so hard, everybody around her could audibly hear it. This was an exciting, and terrifying, moment for her. On the one hand, she was scared to death about what was going to happen; she was barely able to stand up for itself in public school, and now she would become a Power Ranger? Plain and simply, absolutely ridiculous, she thought! But, on the other hand, she had to do something to save her parents, her town, and probably the entire world. Perhaps these bizarre events, and these four strangers, could be the key to strengthening her resolve. She closed her eyes, and as gently yet firmly as she could manage, opened up the final Cube, and awakened the power inside, and became the next Ranger... or so she and the others were expecting to happen. For whatever reason, the Cube simply refused to open for her.

Her eyes shot open, soon staring at the Cube in her hands."...w-what's wrong?" she asked, confused, as she then tried to forcefully pry it open, but to no avail, as the other Rangers looked at each other, visibly confused. "...nothing's happening?!" she said, still trying to force it open with all of her strength, to no effect. The other Rangers had no explanation as to why the Cube couldn't open for Dawn. "Maybe it needs new batteries or something?" said Nate, half-jokingly, throwing his hands into the air. Talonwing, however, gave a frustrated sigh. "Or it is as I had unfortunately predicted." he said, disheartened, as the quintet all turned to him. "What do you mean?" asked Miranda, crossing her arms, and raising an eyebrow. "It brings me no end of pain to say it, but I fear Dawn is not worthy of the Cube's power." he explained, his voice having a distinct lilt of frustration in it.

Dawn's expression quickly turned to sorrow, as her gaze turned to the ground, and her eyes began to water, realizing she wasn't good enough to be chosen for its power. "..n-no..." she said, her voice cracking and breaking apart, as Miranda did her best to try and comfort her. "It's alright..." she said to her, holding her close and trying to calm her down. Josh, however, gave a confused expression. "But... I thought the Cube chose her when it transformed? It wouldn't reveal itself to her if she wasn't worthy, right?" he asked, turning to the others. Owen was already cooking up several theories in his head, but every single one of them he could think of all had no proper explanation as to why she wasn't chosen. "The Spirits must work in weird ways." he finally said, frustrated, throwing his hands up in defeat. Nate sighed, and put his hands on his hips, trying to defuse the situation.

"Okay look, Dawn might not be able to use it, but on the plus side we have the last Cube; we know where it is and it's safe here in the Sanctuary. All we have to do is hold out until we find somebody who can use it." he said, looking at the others. Owen crossed his arms. "The question is, how long will it take to find somebody worthy?" he asked, turning to Talonwing. Nate shrugged, and threw his hands in the air. "I don't know! I mean, we can't exactly hand out fliers asking for try-outs, now can we?!" he replied, looking frustrated. Dawn, tears rolling down her face, and Miranda still holding her close, felt more and more beaten down by the moment. "...I...I'm sorry..." she said, through her tears. Miranda looked at Nate, visibly upset as well. "You're not helping, Nate." she said, frustrated. Nate sighed, regretfully. "I'm sorry. I'm... I'm just frustrated." he replied, his expression quickly souring.

He turned to Talonwing, trying to figure out what to do next. " Is there any way we can convince the spirits to accept her?" he asked, as Talonwing pondered for a moment before he responded. "It is a process that takes a great amount of willpower, and time that we do not have." he answered, as the Rangers all looked at each other, disheartened. Suddenly, the last crystal totem began to flash once more. Talonwing stepped up onto the pedestal and knelt down once more, preparing to receive the message the Spirits had. Only a few moments had passed, before Talonwing stood back up, and turned to the Rangers to relay what he had just learned. "I've received word that more civilians have disappeared across Spring Shallows, across multiple locations." he said, urgency wellowing up in his old, cracking voice, as the Rangers all looked at each other, planning their next move.

"We should split up, we'll cover a lot more ground that way." said Owen, turning to the others. Nate gave a nod in response. "Right. Somebody should check the east end to see if those civilians are there." he replied, as Josh stepped forward, ready to take action. "I'll do it." responded Josh. "I'll go with him, just in case." said Miranda, also stepping forward. Nate nodded in response. "Alright, then we've got ourselves a plan; Owen will come with me, and you two will check the east end, be sure to keep your eyes wide open, and your heads on a constant swivel. Be sure to give a call if anything happens, got it?" said Nate. The other Rangers quietly nodded and summoned their Cubes, ready to head out, as Miranda knelt down to Dawn, who was sitting on the pedestal steps by the totems. Dawn silently turned to Miranda, tears still welling up in her eyes.

Miranda gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here, and don't worry; we're going to get your parents back... I promise." said Miranda, assuringly. Dawn carefully wiped the tears from her eyes. "...o-okay..." she softly responded. Miranda stood up, her Cube still summoned, and inputted the teleportation code and, along with the other Rangers, disappeared in a bright flash of colors. With that, the group began their search for Lockdown, and the missing civilians. Nate and Owen searched the northern district, home to many apartment complexes, while Josh and Miranda took a look by the eastern end, which had a massive beach where many tourists could enjoy themselves. A good hour and a half passed by, with Nate soaring through every part of the district multiple times, seeing if there was anything he might've missed, and Owen checking every rooftop to see from above where the civilians could've gone.

Nate held out his arms, wings still active, and began his descent right next to Owen, who was patrolling the desolate streets. "Anything?" asked Nate, landing on the pavement with a light thud. Owen shook his head while putting his hands on his hips. "Nothing that I can find. How about you?" responded Owen, but Nate simply shrugged in disappointment. "Pretty much a whole lot of nothing..." he replied, sadly. He quickly summoned his Cube, and set it to call mode. "Josh, Miranda, you two find anything?" he spoke into the Cube, but rather suspiciously, after a few moments, there was no answer from either Ranger. "Josh? Miranda? Guys, are you there?" he asked, quickly shaking the Cube, thinking there may be something wrong with it. "C'mon guys, don't leave me hanging!" he said rather loudly, but again, no answer. Owen quickly summoned his Cube, and tried giving the two a call himself.

"Miranda and Josh, this is Owen, come in!" he said, practically shouting into the Cube. Again, they never got a response. Owen turned to Nate. "Something's wrong." he said, as Nate frantically set communications back to the Sanctuary. "Talonwing, we're not getting any answers from Josh and Miranda!" he said, starting to grow worried. Talonwing, still knelt down and observing the Rangers progress from the Sanctuary's totems, also noticed the connection between him and Josh and Miranda had mysteriously gone dark. How did he not notice this, he wondered? He tried searching for their spirits, he could feel them still out there... but he had no idea where they were... "Rangers, their signals have gone dark; I fear something may have happened to them." he finally said, growing more and more worried. Dawn, still sitting down on the steps, quietly overheard the conversation. "...oh no..." she said to herself.

Talonwing could do nothing but sigh in despair, he couldn't lose a team of Rangers... not again. "I will transmit their last known location to your Cubes. Go with utmost caution." he said, his voice having begun to crack under pressure. "Gotcha. Let's go!" responded Nate, turning to Owen, and with the coordinates in hand, the two raced off to the east end. At full sprint, it took the pair roughly twenty minutes to reach their last known destination, that being a large beach highlighted by a large cave entrance. The two stopped right at the mouth of the cave. "This is the place." said Owen, peering into the cave. "Well, nothing quite like a spooky cave to get the adrenaline goin', huh?" chuckled Nate, as he and Owen summoned their Blazers and proceeded into the cave. It was dark and dank, as you would normally expect with a cave. Ten or so minutes passed as the two continued traversing the dark, stone path.

Luckily, their Blazers also came with a flashlight, something Owen added on during his modification process, just in case. Nate turned to Owen, the two still walking ahead. "You know, I bet you're used to exploring caves and whatnot, given that Precursor stuff is pretty well hidden." he said, still holding out his Blazer to see ahead. Owen chuckled quietly. "Oh, you have no idea. I've honestly lost count of how many caverns and other tunnels I've explored trying to find anything, even the smallest shred of proof, of the Precursors. Then, the next thing I know I not only find a bloody temple, I find the Sanctuary, with working technology, AND an actual living Precursor." he replied with a smile, obviously hidden due to his helmet. "Don't forget becoming a Power Ranger, too." said Nate, also smiling, as Owen chuckled again. "How could I?" he added.

Nate then turned his attention to Owen's right leg. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your leg, exactly? Because I saw you had a prosthetic when we were fighting that plant monster back in the Amazon." he asked. The pair stopped for a moment. "Oh, you mean this?" wondered Owen, lifting up his right leg, covered up in his Green Ranger form. "I was in a car accident a few years ago and my leg got messed up pretty bad and I had to get a prosthetic one. I was in a bit of a rough spot for a while, to be brutally honest." he finished, letting go of his leg, his voice growing slightly more sad. Nate put a hand on Owen's shoulder, smiling. "Well, for what you think it's worth, we're glad you pulled through." he added, patting him. "Thanks. That does mean a lot, actually." replied Owen, nodding. The two continued onward and soon came across a large chamber-like section.

The air was still and the ambience was dead silent; something was wrong, and the two could feel it. To make matters even more unsettling, before the two Rangers were both Josh and Miranda, lying unconscious on the ground in a pile. "There they are." said Nate, pointing at the fallen Rangers. Owen observed the chamber, as best he could in the darkness. "Something feels off. I don't see any Tentycons or that monster." he added, his tone of voice having grown confused and concerned. "Mm-hmm... I'm gonna hazard a guess and say this could be a trap..." said Nate, with a quiet nod as he summoned his Cube. "Talonwing, we found Josh and Miranda, but something's wrong, we don't see any baddies around..." he said, but much like before, he never got an answer. "Talonwing? Are you there?" he asked again, before desummoning his Cube. "No signal, that's bad." he said to Owen.

Nate began to formulate a plan in his head. "I think I have an idea." he said, before summoning his Whipblade and, as gently as he could while still trying to get a grip, attempted to wrap the blade around Josh's leg and pull him back from the center of the chamber. "Alright, easy does it..." he said, pretty much biting his tongue as he tried dragging Josh back. But, unknown to either Ranger, like a shadow in the night, something silently came up behind them... "SURPRISE!" roared a familiar voice from behind, and a heavy hit from a massive metal ball, sent the two Rangers flying into the center of the chamber with screams, right alongside their fallen comrades. Reeling in pain, the pair managed to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator; it was Lockdown, gleefully chuckling as he slowly walked toward the Rangers, like a Roman gladiator preparing for battle with a lion.

Lockdown let one of his Entrapment Chains land on the ground, with an unimaginably heavy metallic thud, dirt being kicked up from the drop. "And so the criminal scum return to the scene of the crime!" cackled Lockdown, fully prepared for battle. Still reeling and writhing in pain, the Rangers tried to pick themselves off of the ground, and ready themselves for the upcoming fight. "You mean the zebra colored freak of nature who kidnapped civilians?" said Nate, hastily standing up with a wobble and readying his Whipblade. Lockdown was visibly taken aback by Nate's comment. "NOBODY CALLS ME A FREAK, 'YA BRIGHT RED BRAT!" he roared, as he summoned another Entrapment Chain and swung it at the two Rangers. The pair just barely rolled out of the way of his attack, and Nate readied his weapon. "Oh I'm gonna hurt more than your ego, pal!" cried out Nate, swinging the long blade at Lockdown.

Lockdown simply swatted the blade away with his Chain and a dismissive scoff. "Do your worst, punk!" he growled, swinging his chain at the Red Ranger, who had swiftly ducked underneath the incoming attack and bull rushed Lockdown, activating his Eagle Boost and blasted off like a rocket. But Lockdown had other ideas, as Nate flew in closer. "This here is a no-fly zone!" he quipped, as he quickly pulled out another Entrapment Chain and managed to ensnare Nate, who quickly landed with a thud. All Nate could do was squirm and struggle hopelessly. "I can't move!" he said, trying to free himself. Lockdown was suddenly hit by four Blazer shots, before he rushed in to help. "Oh, 'ya want some too huh?!" he called out, throwing another Entrapment Chain at Owen, who had given a graceful flip out of the way before charging forward once more. "Spirit Surge!" he cried out, as his Elephant Crushers quickly appeared on his feet.

With a hefty roar, Owen leapt up and managed to boot Lockdown right in the face with both of his Crushers, sending him back a good seven meters. Lockdown growled in pain. "I'm chargin' you with battery against a law enforcer! The sentence is... A PAINFUL DESTRUCTION!" he roared, as he swung another Entrapment Chain at Owen, with the weapon wrapping itself around his legs, just as he did a powerful stomp. The added weight amplified the stomp by at least a hundred times, and the resulting shockwave was more than enough to cause a cave in at the entrance of the chamber. "Well, looks like you got yourselves trapped... WITH ME!" said Lockdown, once the shaking finally stopped. Owen was pinned to the ground, and struggled to get the chains off of his legs. "...Come on..." he said, through his teeth, still trying to free himself.

Lockdown, instead, grabbed the chains holding Owen down and proceeded to do a massive hammer throw with the helpless Green Ranger and managed to toss him right into Nate, incapacitating the two almost instantly. "That takes care 'o that!" he chuckled, as the Rangers writhed in pain. "Oh, and just in case you two were wonderin'..." he waltzed over to the fallen Josh and Miranda, and proceeded to boot the downed Rangers hard enough to send them flying. Once they landed, their helmets shattered into a hundred pieces, but instead of their heads being exposed... out poured a load of sand from their bodies. "That's right... they were fakes! You dummies couldn't save the dummies!" laughed Lockdown, as he gave a trademark thumbs down, and the two Rangers helplessly sunk into the ground.

Meanwhile, over at the Sanctuary, Dawn began looking around her new surroundings, quietly placing her hand on the walls, and watching in awe as the spiritual energy flowed through the cracks and veins in the ancient stone. Talonwing, on the other hand, was much less relaxed. He soon realized all of the Rangers' signals had gone dark, every millisecond that went without knowing their status brought more and more dread to his already burdened being. "Rangers, are you there? Rangers." said Talonwing, frantically. Dawn turned around to see him getting noticably worried. "Nathan, respond immediately! Owen, please answer!" he cried out, as Dawn stopped what she was doing to check on him. "Anybody! Rangers!" he cried out once more, but once he hadn't received an answer from any of them, even from Nate and his talkative self, the grim realization had finally come to him.

Dawn slowly approached Talonwing, who had grown silent. "...what happened?" she asked, fearfully. Talonwing slowly stood up from his kneeling position, and turned to her, his expression being nothing short of pure, unadulterated fear. "I can no longer commune with the Rangers... I fear I may have sent them to their destruction..." he said, solemnly, staring at the ground, looking extremely lost in thought. All Dawn could do was ponder the situation to herself. "...W-what do we do?" she finally asked, but Talonwing had no answer to give her, none that would help anyways. "I... I... I feel for the first time in... a very long time... I have no idea of what to do..." he responded, sadly, as he sat down on the steps and put his hands to his head. He was broken, lost, and completely defeated. All Dawn could do was simply sit down beside him, quietly fidgeting around with the Cube in her hands, sadness building up in her.

Tears began to well up in her eyes once more. " ...This is all my fault... they're in trouble, because of me..." she spoke very softly, to the point you could barely hear her. Talonwing turned to her, watching her face coldly. "Why do you say that?" he asked her, as she continued staring at the ground. "...Because if I never showed up... maybe this wouldn't have happened..." she replied, her voice beginning to crumble. "If you had not appeared when you did... the last Cube may have fallen into the wrong hands." he replied, reassuringly. Dawn had no answer though. "...Or maybe someone else would get this thing... and they could use it..." she quietly sighed. "I mean ...Miranda and the others... they're so strong, and brave, and I'm just... me. Heck, I get scared from stuff like big dogs or needles... and they're out there trying to save the world..." she said, looking visibly defeated.

Talonwing pondered to himself, trying to think of something to help her wounded conscious. He turned back to her. "What is it your heart wants to do?" he asked her, as Dawn sighed quietly, thinking to herself, the Cube still twirling around in her fingers. "...I...I want to help them but... I'm scared..." she finally answered. Talonwing put a feathered hand on her shoulder. "Fear is what keeps us going, and in fact, can make you stronger." he said, assuringly. She turned her attention to him, honestly puzzled by his response. "...really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Talonwing stood up and turned to her. "To fight without fear can lead to recklessness, and ultimately, destruction." he said, as he held out a hand for her. Dawn stared at his hand for a brief moment, before she reached out and took it, giving it a firm grip as she was let up, and quickly brushed herself off.

"If one has to protect something dear to them, they should not reject their fear, but embrace it, and allow it to fuel their strength." he carefully explained to her. Dawn's eyes widened, and her mind was all over the place. "I... I guess I never thought of it that way." she quietly replied, as Talonwing put a hand on her shoulder. "The Spirits may not see you as worthy... but I believe in you, and now... the Rangers need your help, and I know, deep down, you can save them." he finished. Dawn was completely speechless, at this point. Very few people had believed in her, not even herself. She was terrified of what could happen to her if she tried to fight... but she knew she would be even more scared of what could happen to her family, and her newfound friends. She took in a deep breath, and then stared Talonwing right in the eyes, her expression having grown from fear to confidence.

She took a deep breath. "...Okay... You're right, I am scared... of what could happen to me, but... if I don't do something... I'll regret it a lot more than trying and failing... even if I'm not a Ranger, I have to try and save my family... and my friends..." she said, wiping the tears from her eyes, with a look of newfound determination on her face. Suddenly, almost on cue, the Cube in her hands soon began to break open its stone exterior, letting out a bright white light through the cracks, and soon the stone crumbled away, revealing its active state. Dawn quietly gasped as she observed the newly active Cube; this was it... she proved she was worthy. She looked up to Talonwing, who gave an approving nod, before she twisted the top of the cube, and out came a Cube animal, just as the other Rangers had encountered before her, this time a cubified Tiger had flown out of the cube, and began to circle around her, with light trailing behind it.

The small Cube Tiger gave a little roar as it dove head first into Dawn, and in a bright flash of white light, she had discovered she had become the White Ranger. "...woah..." she said to herself, observing her Ranger form, before looking back at Talonwing. "Are you ready for this?" he asked her. Dawn took a deep breath, and gave a nod. "Let's do it." she spoke. Meanwhile, inside another chamber in the cavern lay two containment cells, one holding the unconscious Rangers, and the other holding the missing civilians. There were quiet whispers among the crowd, as they watched the fallen Rangers, who at this point were unmorphed, lie helpless on the cold, metal floor of the energized containment cell. Nate soon began to stir back to consciousness, his eyes slowly opening up as he held his abdomen in pain, and not long after, turning to see his fallen comrades, including Josh and Miranda.

He crawled over to the downed Blue and Yellow Rangers. "Guys? Guys! Wake up!" he said to them, gently shaking the two. Josh quickly stirred back to life. "...wha... what happened?" he said, trying to pick himself off of the ground, as Miranda did the same. Josh gave Nate a stare of pure confusion, just as Owen awoke. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, putting himself in a sitting position. "We came to check on you two, your signals went kaput." replied Nate, whispering to him, so not to alert the civilians about their Ranger identities. Miranda shook her head in pain. "We're investigating this place, ran into Lockdown and got knocked out." she explained. "Funny, that's pretty much what happened to us." Nate scoffed, as the group stood up and dusted themselves off. Owen pressed his hands against the energy barrier holding the cell together. "It looks like some kind of energy field, hard light maybe?" he said, inquiring.

He turned to the group. "Not sure if we can crack this open." he said, after tapping against the field. The Rangers looked around their cell, trying to find a weak spot to exploit. "Hey!" said a voice from the other cell, as the Rangers all turned. "We saw those... things drag you in here. You guys are Power Rangers, right? With those suits?" said one of the civilians. The Rangers all looked at each other, visibly worried about their identities being compromised. "Uh..." said Nate, rubbing the back of his head, slightly confused. "I always wanted to meet a Power Ranger! I remember you guys goin' after Rita Repulsa back in the 90s!" replied the civilian, an excited man. Another civilian, a woman, stepped forward. "That wasn't them exactly! There's like hundreds of Ranger teams, aren't there?" she chimed in. "Oh yeah, and I thought you guys always had a Pink Ranger?" replied the man.

Just then, a stone door quickly slid open, and in stepped Lockdown, along with a large squad of Tentycons, giggling as he stared at the trapped Rangers. "Well well well, I see the rainbow brigade's enjoyin' their playpen!" he said, with a smile. Josh then quickly pushed past the others and began to violently pound against the cell walls. "Oh yeah?! Just you wait! We're gonna wipe the floor with you!" he growled, much like the Lion spirit within him, baring his teeth. Lockdown chuckled, crossing his arms. "Aww, does the poor little kitty want some milk?" he said, mockingly, as he walked up to the cell barrier. "Now... where's 'ya little friend gone to?" he asked, his tone growing far more threatening. Nate, however, wasn't having any of it and simply crossed his arms. "Pfft, like we'll tell you anything..." he scoffed at the villain. Lockdown shoved one of the Tentycons aside as he approached the cell.

"Yeah, just keep up 'dat tough guy act after this!" he calls out, making some rude gestures at the Rangers before he steps away from the cell and toward a console. Pressing a command into the console, a communication line was set up between him, and Arcadyx, his appearance finally revealed to the Rangers for the first time. "Hey boss, I got a special surprise for 'ya! I got four little Power Runts, all caught up!" he proudly boasted, as Arcadyx observed the collection Lockdown managed to acquire. Arcadyx chuckled to himself, staring at the trapped Rangers and civilians. "Lovely work there, Lockdown... a shame the last one of 'em ain't there, but I'll take these little pretties..." he said, cockily, before gazing directly at the Rangers. "'ello there, maties; seems you four managed to get my property... you'd be wise to hand those Cubes over to me..." he said, his tone of voice becoming much more threatening.

Nate stepped forward, toward the cell barrier, his expression growing much more serious. "Well, allow me to make ourselves clear, buddy; you're gonna have to try a whole heck of a lot harder than this to grab the Cubes. Earth hasn't bowed to creeps like you before, and it ain't gonna do so now; especially not to somebody who looks that ridiculous." he replied, crossing his arms. Arcadyx gave a chuckle. "My oh my, you've got a big mouth don't 'ya, Red? Sometimes, you need to learn when to keep quiet..." he responded, mockingly. "Oh yeah?" said Nate, as he leaned against the cell barrier. "Why don't you come on down from that fancy ship of yours and do something about it, eh? Because we'll be waiting to kick your butt back to whatever space pit you crawled out of." he said, evidently ready for a fight now. Arcadyx, however, just gave a big belly laugh. "My, them's fightin' words, Red." he replied, mockingly.

"Just give 'er some time," suddenly, his tone of voice grows much more serious "because when I'm finished putting you, your little Ranger pals, and finally your bird friend down, and I get those Cubes, I'll make sure every single Human on this rotten little ball of water finds themselves in service to me, and there won't be a single thing you, or anything in the universe, can do to stop me." he said, pretty much growling at the Ranger, before finally disconnecting. Lockdown laughs to himself before turning to the civilians, and the Rangers. "Now if 'ya animals don't mind... I'll be on the prowl for some more criminals to lock up!" he said, disappearing into the ground, as the Tentycon squad stays behind to watch the cells. Josh growls in frustration, slamming his hands against the cell barrier. "Now what?!" he asks, angrily. Meanwhile, just outside the cave entrance, in a flash of white light came Dawn.

She stood outside of the cave, her confidence still slowly bubbling up within her. She took a deep breath, and began her journey inside. Taking in the sights of the dark tunnel, thankfully keeping her Blazer close by, she walked for about half an hour before she soon came across the closed off chamber entranced, completely sealed off due to rubble. Dawn walked up to the rubble. "...How am I going to get past this?" she thought to herself, soon looking down at the crumbling rubble. She soon realized she had the arduous task of clearing a way through the rubble. "...Okay... I can do this..." she said to herself, beginning to clear her way through the rocks. They were heavy, and they were hard to move, and her hands were unimaginably sore from all of the digging, but still she kept on clearing through them. "...I can do this...I can do this..." she continued saying to herself, repeatedly, as personal encouragement.

The longer she kept digging, the better she was at it, she noticed. She had already dug a large hole through the rocks, but she couldn't stop now. "...I can do this...I can do this!" she said, practically shouting to herself, as her hands suddenly transformed into a pair of claws, much like how Josh had, and she continued slicing through more and more of the rocks, and just as she continued carving her way through, she had finally managed to blast open a large hole through the rubble, which had also also, unfortunately, alerted a squadron of Tentycons keeping a watch in the chamber. She gave a yelp in surprise as the Tentycons soon chittered at each other, and began blasting at her through the newly created hole she had just made. Dawn quickly scrambled through the hole, managing to deck a Tentycon straight in the face with her claws. While Josh's claws basically had lightning whips, Dawn's had rapid fire energy blasts.

Outside, the civilians and the Rangers, who had pretty much given up trying to figure out how to escape, could hear the screeches of the Tentycons and the sound of fighting just beyond the door. There was so much commotion outside, the entire inner chamber began shaking. "Now what?" asked, curious and worried. The shaking continued. "I really hope that's not an earthquake." said Josh, also growing worried, when suddenly the door smashed open, and a Tentycon came screaming through it, crashing right into the civilian's cell before flopping on to the ground. Everybody gasped in surprise, wondering what was going on, when in walked Dawn, standing proudly over the fallen Tentycon. "The White Ranger?!" gasped one of the civilians, completely flabbergasted. "No way!" said another, just as amazed. Dawn quickly turned to the console, her newly unleashed Tiger Slingers still out.

Without warning, she quickly slashed away at the console, ending with it exploding in a shower of sparks, and the cell barriers quickly powered down. She quickly motioned for the civilians to evacuate. "Go, run to the entrance! Get to safety!" she said, as the wave of people poured out of the chamber and rushed off to safety, including her parents, who quickly stopped in front of the Ranger. "Where is our daughter? Is she okay?" asked her mother, as her father stood behind her, looking worried. Dawn simply put a hand on her shoulder. "She's safe, I promise. Now go! Go!" she replied, as her parents nodded and rushed off. Her Ranger form also distorted her voice enough to hide her identity. As soon as the civilians were clear, the other Rangers stepped out of their cell. Owen stepped forward, inquisitive. "Are you... who we think you are?" he asked, and soon, the White Ranger de-morphed, and revealed her identity to the others.

The group gave a surprised, and relieved, expression. "Dawn!" they all cried out, as they gave her a group hug, as Dawn reciprocated with a smile. "I knew you had it in you!" Miranda laughed happily, as the group finished their hug. "Well... it helps that I found some new friends, that I couldn't leave behind." replied Dawn, still smiling. Nate gave a small little happy dance, grinning like an idiot. "This is awesome! We're a complete team now, and together, Arcadyx doesn't stand a chance.. So..." he held out his fist, looking at the others "you guys ready to save the universe?" he declared. "I'm in." said Miranda, putting out her fist. "Let's do it." said Josh, putting his fist out. Owen soon put out his, and Dawn nodded as she put out hers. "Then that's that." said Nate, as the group put their fists down. "Now, let's get this creep!" he finished, with a final nod from the group, and with that the team all raced out of the cave.

Back in town, hundreds of civilians were running away in fear as Lockdown proudly waltzed his way through, looking for any more "prisoners" to capture and detain. "Yo, stripeface!" said a voice from behind him. "Huh, who said that?!" he asked, as he turned around, to see all four Rangers standing right before him. "You?! You escaped containment?! How?!" he asked, completely dumbfounded, when he saw Dawn standing with the group. "YOU!" he proclaimed, pointing at her. "You broke 'em out, didn't 'ya?!" he growled, as Dawn cautiously stepped forward. "...yeah... I did..." she said, before looking back at the others for a moment, before turning back to Lockdown. "Because I couldn't leave my friends behind." she finished, stepping back into the group. "Plus, there's no way we could go about our day while your ugly mug is still out here." quipped Nate, with a smug grin on his face.

Lockdown growled angrily; he had enough of this Ranger's cockiness. "Now y'all are really gonna get it! Tentycons!" he yelled out, as he threw out several Tentycene Disks, and out popped a squad of Tentycons, all ready for battle. The Rangers did the same. "You guys ready?" asked Nate, turning to the group, as they all gave a nod in response. "Good, because It's Morphin' Time!" he proclaimed, with the group all summoning their Spirit Cubes. "Spirits Within, Awaken!" exclaimed the group, all going through the morph sequence, and in a bright flash of their respective colors, the team had all morphed, and readied themselves for battle. "Crush 'em!'' yelled out Lockdown, as the Tentycons all rushed into battle. Nate proudly ran his hand over his helmet, like he was slicking his hair. "Just remember, when you mess with Earth, it bites back!" he exclaimed, summoning his Whipblade, as he and the other Rangers charged in.

Nate quickly summoned his Eagle Boost and, with a huge sonic boom, spins his way through three Tentycons, grabbing another with the elongated blade and quickly slinging it a good hundred meters in the air before Nate, in a lightning fast blur of red, slashes through it like a hot knife through butter. Three more Tentycons charge toward Miranda, who dives head first into the ground, swiftly disappearing and leaving the foot soldiers completely baffled for only a moment, before she had came back up in Shark Spin mode, gracefully carving through the helpless Tentycons. Owen, in combat with two more, dropkicks one and manages to blast another right in its tendriled face, while Josh and Dawn charge forth and cut down four more with their Lion Slashers and Tiger Slingers. With no more Tentycons to harass them, the Rangers gather in front of Lockdown.

Lockdown summoned more Entrapment Chains, at least five of them. "Y'all are gonna be goin' away for life!" he roared, throwing the Chains at the Rangers, as Josh, Dawn, and Nate stepped forward. "Not happening!" cried out Josh, as the three started slashing the Chains right out of the air, with every single one of them falling to the ground with heavy clanks. Lockdown roared and rushed toward the Rangers. "Why I 'oughta!'' he cried out, when suddenly Nate hit him with three slashes from his Whipblade, which soon led to Owen running at him like a linebacker, his Elephant Stompers still active and just as Lockdown is about to swing at him, he slides underneath him and boots him a good hundred into the air. Lockdown screamed like a child as he was launched like a rocket. Miranda then leapt up into the air, fired up her Shark Spin once more and bashed him around like a pinball.

He's flailing around wildly when Dawn and Josh had started slashing away at him with both of their Lion Slashers and Tiger Slingers, as he got pelted with energy blasts, mid-air, over and over again. Lockdown finally lands with a heavy thud and crash, as he grumbles in pain, trying to pick himself up. The Rangers all gather around, ready to put an end to this battle. Nate turned to Owen. "Ready to try that finishing move we practiced?" he asked, growing excited. "It's worth a shot!" he replied, as he and the other Rangers, aside from Dawn and Nate, readied their Blazers into Blaster mode. Dawn turned to the others. "What move?" she asked, as Miranda put a hand on her shoulder. "Just follow our lead." she replied, confidently. Dawn just nodded and quickly set her Blazer as well. Nate held out his Whipblade. "All together now!" he said, proudly, as he and the Rangers soon jumped high into the air.

In a bright flash of gold, the Rangers all transformed into a massive golden claw with corresponding colored claws on each tip, as a loud roar echoed out. "Spirit... STRIKE!" the Rangers cried out, as the claw came down and carved its way through Lockdown, who in a scream of pain, went out in a satisfying explosion. "And that takes care of that!" quipped Nate, dusting off his hands. Up on the Ethospear, Arcadyx sighed in disappointment, as yet another monster had failed. "Aww, and just the action was gettin' good..." he said, visibly annoyed, although with a lilt of sarcasm in his voice. Cuborax, however, was far less amused, giving a growl in frustration. "How much longer until you stop playing with these pests... I'm growing tired of waiting." he snarled, turning to Arcadyx. "Oh quit 'yer belly-achin', you'll get your turn soon enough."

He pressed his chair button and out shot up another Megadallion, which he gracefully caught between his fingers. " In the meantime, let's turn things up a notch..." he said, sticking the alien coin into the chair's slot and out it went, hurtling towards Earth. Planetside, as the Rangers were still celebrating their victory, Dawn looked up and noticed the distinct glow and screech the Megadallion made, as it continued through the atmosphere. "What's that?" she asked, tapping Josh on the shoulder. He turned around to see the Megadallion come closer and closer. "It's one of those monster growing things!" he cried out, prompting the other Rangers to turn around. "Get your Blazers out, shoot it down!" ordered Nate, as all five of the Rangers quickly set their Blazers to Blaster mode and fired at the incoming coin, but every single shot just bounced off it like nothing, some blasts even shot back at the crew, forcing them to take cover.

The coin soon embedded itself into Lockdown, and in a burst of gold light, he soon grew to colossal size. "I'm throwin' ALL of y'all behind bars!" he roared, standing taller than most buildings now. "It's always the hard way with them, isn't it?" said Owen, as the Rangers all stared at the now gigantic Lockdown. Dawn began to panic. "What do we do now?!" she said, stammering and tripping over her own words. Miranda stepped over and put her hand on her shoulder. "Just follow our lead." she replied, summoning her Cube and setting it to Zord Mode. Dawn quietly nodded and did the same. "Cubezords, arise!'' The Rangers all cried out, opening up their Cubes and out came their respective Cubezords, In respective bursts of light, the Rangers all transported into their Cubezords. Each of the Rangers sat in their cockpits, inserted their Cubes in the stone control terminal, and prepared themselves for battle.

"Elephant Cubezord, fully operational." said Owen, cracking his fingers. "I'm ready too." responded Dawn, taking a deep breath in preparation. Nate gave an approving nod. "Music to my ears, now let's beat this bozo!" he said, as all five Cubezords charged forward. The Shark Cubezord lets out a roar as it dives forward and clamps down on Lockdown's left arm. Lockdown lets out a groan of pain, just as the Lion Cubezord did the same to his right arm, both trying to hold the monster down. "'Ya don't gang up on the law, unless 'ya wanna get PUNISHED!" he roared, as he swung his arms together and smashed the two Cubezords into each other, with a huge explosion of sparks coming out, and the two Zords dropped to the ground. "Miranda!" cried out Dawn, as she hastily tried to think of something to do. She looked all over the control terminal. "...w-what do I do?!" she thought to herself, in a panic.

Out of options, "Maybe this?" she just motioned her hands inside the command field and out came two claws, which soon started firing multiple energy blasts at Lockdown, making him stumble back. "Why I oughta!" roared Lockdown, as he summoned another Entrapment Chain and tossed it as Dawn. Suddenly, the Elephant Cubezord charged in between Dawn and Lockdown. "Hang on to something." he calmly said, moving his hands inside the field, and soon his Zord stuck out its trunk, and fired out a heavy blast of air, catching the Entrapment Chain in the gust and managing to bash Lockdown right in the face, sending him tumbling back, as the Eagle Cubezord soon joined the others. "You guys alright?" asked Nate, sounding audibly worried about the two downed Rangers. Miranda shook her head, trying to clear it. "Yeah, we're fine, but our Zords are messed up pretty badly." she replied.

Josh made a command in the energy field, trying to get his Zord back up and running. "We've got auto repair systems online, but we can't do anything while we're getting fixed up!" he responded, meaning the two couldn't be used in the Primal Megazord. "...what are we going to do?" asked Dawn, worried. Out of ideas, Nate pulled out his Cube and set it to call mode. "Talonwing, Josh and Miranda's Zords are out of commission, any ideas?" he asked, looking for guidance. "There is. The Elephant and Tiger Cubezords can work with the Eagle Cubezord to build an alternate Megazord combination for situations such as these. Utilize this new combination, and destroy Lockdown once and for all." responded Talonwing, in his usual calm demeanor. Nate gave a nod in response. "Sounds good to me! Josh, Miranda, lick your wounds and rest up, we'll take it from here! Dawn, Owen, follow my lead!" he commanded.

"Got it!" replied both Dawn and Owen, pulling out their Cubes and setting them to Megazord mode. "Primal Megazord, begin construction!" the three Rangers cried out, and soon their respective Cubezords reverted to their untransformed mode. Down came the Elephant Cubezord, followed by the Tiger, and finally the Eagle, as the final head piece came down, and with that, the Primal Megazord's Tiger-Elephant combination was complete, and right as Lockdown get himself back on his feet. "Eh, what's this here?!" he said, confused, as the Megazord stood in a battle stance. "C'mon, then!" roared Lockdown, pounding his chest before charging at the Megazord, summoning another Entrapment Chain, swinging it wildly at the mecha, but with an unprecedented level of grace, manages to slice the chain holding the ball in half with the claws on its knees.

Lockdown looked dumbfounded as his weapon fell to the ground, destroyed. "Hey! Don't make me add destruction 'o property to 'ya records!" he yelled, running at the Megazord. "Yeah? Well... add this!" replied Dawn, as she motioned her hands in her command field, as just as Lockdown was right at them, the Megazord lifted its left leg, and kicked him straight in the gut with its claw. "Oooh, that's smarts!" said Lockdown, clutching his stomach in pain. "So will this!" replied Nate, turning to the others. "Ready to finish this?" he asked, putting a hand on his Cube. "Ready!" said Dawn and Owen, turning their Cubes a quarter to the right and back, and soon the Megazord lifted its right leg, glowing blindingly bright with energy. "Spirit Stomp!" cried out the Rangers, as the Megazord's leg came down with unprecedented strength, with a huge burst of energy traveling through the ground.

The blast finally came up from beneath Lockdown, with a massive explosion. Lockdown stumbled around, sparking wildly. "Guess my shift... finally ended!" he said, as he fell to the ground and finally went out in a huge fireball. In their cockpits, all of the Rangers celebrated their victory. "We did it!" shouted Dawn, excited. "Yeah! Score one for the wild!" laughed Nate, as the Megazord stood proudly over its fallen adversary. Later in the day, as he sat alone in the Sanctuary, meditating, Talonwing turned to see the Rangers having come back victorious. "We're back!" said Josh, in a sing-songy tone. "And we're stronger than ever." responded Owen, stretching his arms. All five Rangers gathered around Talonwing. "Excellent work, by all of you, but most especially to you, Dawn." he said, turning to her. "Despite your fear, you have risen to the challenge and have proven yourself worthy of inheriting the Spirit Cube's power."

Dawn nodded quietly. "I was afraid, and I still am..." she said, as she turned to the others, "but it's not going to stop me... it's going to keep me going forward." she finished, confidently. Talonwing nodded approvingly. "You are stronger because of it. All of you are." he turned to Nate. "Nathan, as quick and elegant in battle as the Eagle, even if your mouth outpaces you." he said, with Nate giving a small chuckle, smiling. "Miranda, moving like water and with a clear mind, much like the Shark spirit within you." he said to the Blue Ranger, as she gave a silent nod in response. He turned to Josh. "Joshua, you embody the Lion; ferocious and unstoppable." he said, as Josh gave a smile. "Owen, your mind is as focused and as tactical as the Elephant; may it serve you well in the battles ahead." he said, as Owen gave a nod as well. He then turned to Dawn.

"And finally Dawn... you are a dauntless, unmovable force. You embrace the Tiger." he said, as she smiled, looking at the others. Talonwing then took a step back. "I am honored to say... a new generation of Power Rangers has taken the mantle of Earth's defenders." he finished, and with it, all of the Rangers let out a cheer. Nate put his arms around the group. "Y'know, I think this calls for a bit of a celebration. Why don't we go to that burger shop downtown, and grab a bite to eat?" he offered, looking at the others, as Owen shrugged. "Eh, why not? Maybe some food'll help with the mental burnout I'm feeling." replied Owen, as the Rangers all disembarked from the Sanctuary, leaving Talonwing by himself once more. "Stay vigilant Rangers... the universe depends on it..." he said to himself, proud of the team that had just been forged; the Power Rangers Primal Spirits.


End file.
